Is lasting love magic, logic or luck?

couple on roof at sunset with candles around Credit: Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

front cover of book

Does it matter how a couple met? Contented Couples, a new guide to long-term relationships, features candid, intimate interviews with eighteen couples, based in the UK and USA. Each pair tell of how they met, how they formed a relationship and how they've thrived to become a truly happy union.

One couple met and married within a month, whilst another two were thrown together repeatedly by a matchmaker who refused to give up - and it is not only guy meets girl either. The couples speak from an array of circumstance, culture and sexual orientations, including arranged marriage, friends-to-lovers and dating apps.

In the pages, couples (or those still hoping to find lasting love), will find real-life anecdotes, testimony and wisdom on every stage of long-term love from each partner. From their first meet and transition through the 'love bubble' of dating to selection, attachment and commitment, and woven throughout are jargon-free explanations of how couples form a bond from renowned couple therapist and writer on attachment styles, Anne Power. The interviews even recount examples of how the couples handled fights, money, relatives and sex in a way that isn't shared normally outside of a therapy session.

Each chapter ends with questions which invite us all to reflect on our own relationships and learn by eavesdropping on contented couples in a way that, for most of us navigating long-term relationships, is rare. Contented Couples has been prepared for anyone seeking lasting love, greater insight into their own coupledom, or indeed anyone who works with couples regularly and could use some more context on how this type of relationship actually works.

Anne Power is a couple therapist who writes and speaks regularly on attachment issues. She has clinical qualifications from The Bowlby Centre, Westminster Pastoral Foundation, Tavistock Relationships and Relate and she has experience with clients in the NHS, in prisons and in voluntary settings, including the Terrence Higgins Trust. 
Across three decades of practice as a therapist, she has written over twenty papers for publication in academic and professional journals, which all explore the meaning of attachment in the consulting room and in the supervision relationship. Her second book, Contented Couples: Magic, Logic or Luck? reflects on interviews with eighteen long-term couples for a general audience interested to know how attachment styles play out in our long-term relationships and marriages. Contented Couples: Magic, Logic or Luck? was published by Confer Books and it is on sale now.

Back to previous page

You may also be interested in

New app launches to simplify one of marriage’s biggest admin headaches

New app launches to simplify one of marriage’s biggest admin headaches

Changing your name after marriage can mean updating details with countless organisations, from banks and subscriptions to official documents and employers. New app Name Change Navigator aims to make the process easier, guiding newlyweds through each step from one platform. Founded by Rebecca Dainton, Head of Product at Flutter UK & Ireland, the app was created to reduce the stress and mental load associated with name changes. It supports a range of naming journeys, including traditional surname changes, double-barrelling, blended surnames and other choices following marriage, civil partnership, divorce or personal identity changes. The launch comes as younger generations increasingly rethink traditional naming conventions, with technology offering a more streamlined approach to this often-overlooked part of newlywed life.

READ ARTICLE

Something borrowed, something blue’ is out – but 1 in 4 Brits still value wedding cards

Something borrowed, something blue’ is out – but 1 in 4 Brits still value wedding cards

New research from Moonpig reveals the top wedding card writing confessions. A whopping 30% of Brits admit to defaulting to a safe "congratulations!" because they simply can't think of anything else to say. This is followed by recycling the same message for different couples (11%) and signing a card without knowing what your partner has written (8%). What's more, when stuck for words, one in 10 (8%) admit to turning to AI for inspiration - this rises to one in seven (14%) among 25–34-year-olds. Brits are not alone in facing this wedding card conundrum. More than half of Brits (55%) admit they have struggled with at least one aspect of wedding message writing. Nearly one in four find wedding cards (23%) or guest-book messages (24%) difficult, while one in five (20%) hit writer's block when preparing the all-important wedding speech.

READ ARTICLE

The YouGov Big Survey on Weddings

The YouGov Big Survey on Weddings

The journey that begins with "will you marry me" and ends with "I do" transforms a couple's lives in multiple ways, but it also involves a huge number of decisions, as planning a wedding is no mean feat. Every guest will have an opinion on what a wedding should be like: from what's classy and tacky, to which traditions should be followed and which can be discarded. To help prospective couples get a grip on what these potential guests hope to see in a wedding, YouGov's new Big Survey on Weddings examines all these key debates about what should and shouldn't feature on the big day, including looking at the decisions that brides and grooms would make themselves. The study is part a Big Surveys project: a series of in-depth surveys on British society. It was conducted between 7-9 August 2026, with a sample of 1,784 adults in the UK aged 18 and above.

READ ARTICLE

Brits are swapping the 'big day' for the 'right day' as searches for intimate wedding venues soar

Brits are swapping the 'big day' for the 'right day' as searches for intimate wedding venues soar

Couples are increasingly choosing quality time over large guest lists, with new search data revealing a growing demand for intimate weddings and stylish registry office ceremonies. According to Google search data analysed by Suit Direct, searches for "small intimate wedding venues near me" have increased by 86% year-on-year, while interest in "micro wedding packages" has risen 23% over the past three months, suggesting more couples are opting for meaningful celebrations that prioritise the experience over extravagance. For many, the legal ceremony is no longer just the paperwork before the "real" wedding. Instead, couples are dressing for the occasion, hiring photographers and celebrating afterwards with an intimate meal or party, proving you don't need a 200-person guest list to make the day feel special.

READ ARTICLE

Follow Your Yorkshire Wedding Magazine on YouTube

VISIT SITE

Submit your wedding to be featured in Your Yorkshire Wedding Magazine

VISIT SITE

Subscribe to Your Yorkshire Wedding Magazine for free

VISIT SITE

Blackwell Grange Hotel

VISIT SITE