So your little one is about to reach the big milestone, their 1st Birthday, and you wonder where time has gone and how is it already 12 months of him/her ?

Motherhood is often overwhelming, especially if it’s your first baby. You get busy with all the first times and here you are trying to plan a party for their first birthday, or even wondering if you should do something ?

They won’t actually remember it, so I did wonder myself : should I organise a party ?

Well have you ever considered a 1st birthday smash cake photoshoot ? They are very popular in the UK and a great fun way to celebrate this big milestone.

I will take care of everything for you from beginning to end! This will be a stress-free experience and super fun trust me.

So What is a Smash Cake session ?

1 year old boy playing with wooden toys for his forst birthday photoshoot

We will start with some Family portrait all together, with siblings too. I will also take some individual portrait of your little one, playing with my wooden toys, singing, dancing, screaming ! Let’s embrace the fun and the chaos if any. I like to capture genuine and authentic moments.

Let your kids be kids ! Don’t ask them to smile or say cheese please.

If you are here, you have probably noticed that my style is very minimal, simple and natural. I have a very neutral colour palette, with white and cream tones. So is my cake, a simple vanilla sponge cake. This way, the focus will remain on your little one and nothing else.

What is included in a Smash cake session ?

A smash cake session is broken down in 3 parts :

one year old girl eating her birthday cake

Family portraits & Baby portrait
Smash cake
Bubble bath

So I covered earlier the beginning with the Family portraits.

Then I will get the cake out. I usually recommend a simple white outfit like a white bodysuit with short sleeves (have got some in my client wardrobe if you need to borrow one). It is timeless and it’s always nice to see some baby skin. This way the focus is on baby rather than anything else. However, feel free to dress your baby in the outfit of your choice, this is just my personal recommendations and preference !

I had some clients bringing some traditional outfits from their country too, which makes lovely memories and gives this extra special touch.

I will give your little one a wooden spoon if they want to hit the cake with it too. This is when we let your baby destroy the cake as much as they want! There is no limit and we want to encourage them to be as messy as possible ! I will capture all the mess and the giggles!

Don’t worry if your little one doesn’t actual destroy the cake! I had a few toddler barely touching the cake! It’s okay, and we can move on to the bubble bath if they had enough of the cake.

My sessions are baby-led all the way, so I will never force your little one to do something they don’t like. We will go at their pace and make sure they enjoy the experience.

The Bubble bath photos

The final part of your photoshoot will be the bubble bath.

We remove the nappy and sit your little one in my tub. There is an anti-slippery mat at the bottom of the tub, so it’s very safe for them.

I fill it up with luke warm water and some bubble shower gel (only the good stuff for baby skin of course). I get my bubble gun out and some little water toys. That’s when we encourage them to splash as much as they want !! they like to reach for the bubbles too which makes some wonderful shots.

I will have towels and mop ready, don’t you worry. I will clean all the mess, you just need to get your little one dry and dressed by the end.

little one year old enjoying a bubble bath for his first birthday

So in a nutshell, I provide everything from beginning to end, how cool is that ?!

If you want some balloons for the Family portraits, feel free to bring a big helium one or any other style!

Have a read at my other blog post about the props you can use during your smash cake photoshoot

When is the best time to book the session ?

Ideally we want to book it a few weeks before the actual birthday (if you want to have the photos ready for the big day). My turn around for the photos will be between 2 to 3 weeks.

Time-wise, be sure to book the session after their nap, so they are full of energy for the photoshoot !

And I will need at least 1 full week notice to order the cake on time.

Ready to book ? It’s easy, just contact me by clicking on the button below.

Let’s do this ! Enquire now