Y’all know how I love to document those important milestone sessions! The one-year milestone is a huge one, I almost feel like parents deserve a trophy at that point too! HA! It is such a fun time and your little one is developing a big personality by then! Lots of clients love the idea of capturing traditional photos and doing a cake smash. “Wait…what is a cake smash?” This is a photo session where we choose a theme, outfit, backdrop and you bring a cake/cupcake for your child to literally smash and eat while I photograph! It’s so fun to see how the child is going to react to what is likely their first bite of yummy cake and icing. They usually love it!!

First, we will need to decide the date to do the session. It will also be important to decide if you will need the photos in time to order invitations for their 1st birthday party, or if you may want to have cake smash photos displayed at the party.  Its best to contact me several months prior to their actual birthday so that we can start the planning process.

Next, we will decide the location. Do you want to do the session outdoors in a field/outdoor setting or do you want it in the studio? We can then decide the theme of the session. This can be as simple as you like, or we can come up with a theme where we can do a backdrop/balloons/props, etc. You can bring custom hats and banners also. I have a variety of backdrops and props. Lots of people choose to do the cake smash theme the same theme as their first birthday party! That makes it easy and pictures will coordinate if you want to use them at the party. I also love super simple setups where the focus is on the child.

Outfits should coordinate with the theme. This is your chance to get creative! Some people opt for the simple birthday hat and diaper cover.  It will get messy, so just remember that when you are choosing your outfit! We will also need a cake or cupcake! I have several cake stands that you can use depending on the theme. I recommend a small 6- or 8-inch cake, these can be very affordable if purchased at a bakery such as Publix. The sky is the limit, sometimes parents go all out and order custom cakes. If possible, its best to stay away from black icing as it is not very appealing smeared all over the face! 

Here are some of my favorite cake smash sessions! Message me now so that we can start planning!