No, you cannot marry Serana in the unmodded game. She notices an Amulet of Mara and will talk about marriage if you raise it, but she always turns you down, and curing her vampirism does not change her answer.
Below we cover exactly when the marriage conversation appears and what she says, why the cure makes no difference, the mod that adds a private elopement on PC and Xbox, and the closest things to a Serana marriage the base game offers.
Which Versions This Covers
This guide covers The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Special Edition and Anniversary Edition on PC, PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo Switch. Serana comes from the Dawnguard add-on, which both editions include, so every current copy of the game has her. The answer is the same in every edition and on every platform: none of the official content makes her a marriage candidate.
If you have not met her yet, she is the woman you free from a sarcophagus in Dimhollow Crypt during the Dawnguard quest Awakening. She then travels with you for most of the Dawnguard questline, whichever side you pick.
What Happens When You Ask Serana
Per the community wiki’s record of her dialogue, the marriage topic only opens up late. During the quest Chasing Echoes, you and Serana talk about loneliness in the Volkihar Undercroft. After that conversation, if you speak to her while wearing an Amulet of Mara, a new line appears: “Have you ever thought about marriage?”
She spots the amulet straight away. From there, the conversation can go a few ways, but it always ends the same:
- If you are single, she declines because of her past. Her line is that she still gets a chill just walking by a temple and cannot imagine going into one to ask for Mara’s blessing. If she likes you enough, the wording is warmer (she says she cares about you and will go wherever you go), but it is still a no.
- If you are already married, she asks whether you have someone waiting at home, and refuses to come between you and your spouse.
- After one attempt, the subject is closed. Ask again and she says you have talked about it enough.
Her reaction does not depend on your character’s race or sex. Skyrim lets you marry regardless of either, per the community wiki, and Serana’s refusal changes only with her disposition and your marital status.
If you are trying to get married in general, our guide to getting married in Skyrim covers the Amulet of Mara, Maramal in Riften and who you can marry instead.
Does Curing Her Vampirism Change Anything
No. This is the most common follow-up question, and the community wiki is direct about it: Serana will not marry you even after she has been cured.
The cure itself is still worth knowing about. Per the community wiki, it is only possible if you side with the Dawnguard, finish Kindred Judgment, and are not a vampire yourself when you ask her about it. She then spends three days with Falion in Morthal and comes back human. Our guide to curing vampirism in Skyrim covers Falion’s ritual in detail.
Being a vampire yourself does not help either. Her refusal is about her own past, not about what you are.
The Mod Route on PC and Xbox
The only documented way to marry Serana is a mod. Serana Dialogue Add-On, by the creator Martimius, expands her with thousands of new voiced lines and includes a romance that runs alongside the Dawnguard story. Its own FAQ says that because a temple ceremony does not fit Serana’s background, the mod gives you a private elopement scene instead. The game recognizes that commitment as a marriage, and it blocks any future vanilla marriage.
Two conditions from the mod’s FAQ matter before you start. The romance flags only appear if your character is single under the vanilla marriage system, and you can decline the romance when you first meet her or switch to a platonic path later.
Platform support is narrower. The mod’s Nexus page lists the Special Edition PC version and an Xbox version on Bethesda’s own mod service, and lists no PlayStation or Nintendo Switch version. The community wiki also notes that using mods disables Special Edition achievement progress on both PC and consoles. The mod appears in our list of the best Skyrim mods, along with the other follower mods worth installing.
The Closest Alternatives in the Base Game
If you want Serana at your side without mods, you do not need a wedding to get that:
- Keep her as a permanent follower. After the Dawnguard questline ends, she roams Skyrim and can be recruited again wherever you find her. Per the community wiki, she stays essential for good, so she can never die, and she has the highest health of any follower in the game. Our guide to the best followers in Skyrim compares her with the rest.
- Marry someone else and turn them. If you side with the Volkihar clan, a quest called The Gift, given by Vingalmo, lets you turn a mortal spouse into a vampire. Per the community wiki, it only changes your spouse’s eyes, not their abilities, and a list of spouses (including Aela, Farkas, Vilkas and Onmund) cannot be turned. Our guide to becoming a vampire in Skyrim explains how to join Harkon’s clan.
- Give your spouse a proper home. A spouse will move into any house you own, and per the community wiki, sleeping under the same roof gives you the Lover’s Comfort bonus to skill gains. See our guide to buying a house in Skyrim for the options.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you marry Serana if you cure her? No. Per the community wiki, she still refuses after the cure, and the marriage conversation plays out the same way.
Can you marry Serana in the Anniversary Edition? No. Her refusal is the same in the Anniversary Edition, and its extra Creation Club content does not make her a marriage candidate.
Can the PC console make Serana marriageable? The community wiki documents console fixes for her cure dialogue but no route to marriage. The Serana Dialogue Add-On mod is the supported way to do it.
Does Serana leave after Dawnguard ends? No. Per the community wiki, she often roams Skyrim after the questline ends, and you can recruit her again wherever you find her.
Where can we find more Skyrim guides? Our Elder Scrolls guides hub collects every Skyrim and Oblivion walkthrough we have published.