Over the past 14 years, Richmond Bride has captured the “I do’s” of local couples in our Scrapbook section. We revisited some past couples to see where they are now, how life has changed or not, and to find out what advice they have to offer to newlyweds.
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Photo courtesy Michael-Birch Pierce
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Photo by Lindsey Thorne
After dating for six years, local artists Michael-Birch Pierce and Anthony Smith wed on May 28, 2016, on the rooftop of one of their favorite spots, Havana ’59. Michael-Birch incorporated his creative talents into the wedding in a variety of ways, such as screen-printing by hand each invitation onto a vintage lace handkerchief. During the lively reception, guests dined on tropical treats such as coconut shrimp, plantain fritters and classic mojitos as they partied with the happy newlyweds.
Top Advice for Newlyweds: “Marriage is a combination of your individual strengths and weaknesses. Embrace these differences and recognize that they can make your relationship stronger.”
How have your lives changed since getting married?
Michael-Birch: Soon after our wedding, we bought a house in Barton Heights and adopted another dog — we now have three. I’m still teaching fashion design and art at VCU School of the Arts, and Anthony has been musically directing a number of productions at Virginia Repertory Theatre. Eventually we would like to grow our family with a child, but we both have really busy schedules right now, so we’re waiting for when the time feels right.
What is the biggest challenge your relationship has faced so far?
Anthony: Since we are both artists, our hectic work schedules mean that we don’t get much time together. Art is really a feast-or-famine situation — there are times when I have five back-to-back shows or nothing at all. It’s similar for Michael. Luckily, we’ve always been independent people and are comfortable doing our own things, but we try our best to have quality time when we can.
M-B: I think it’s key to understand that sometimes things get crazy, and you can’t hold it against one another. We are genuinely excited for each other and are supportive of our respective careers. When we have downtime, we’ll go away for a weekend at the beach or have friends over to watch television. It’s important to take advantage of those meaningful moments as often as possible.
What are you looking forward to in your future years of marriage?
A: We love kids, so we do look forward to growing our family eventually. We are both relatively young and are still in the building phases of our careers, so we are excited to achieve more and have the ability to be more selective with projects. This will help us to take a step back and spend more time as a family.
