A’s mom contacted the studio to schedule a First Birthday session for her daughter with the whole family included. We sent her our style guide, Pinterest inspiration board, and our cake tips sheet to review as well! The style guide is a quick read and simple to implement! Our style guide is relevant to any type of session you schedule with us. I love helping people with their styling! I'm here to support you, so don't hesitate to ask if there's anything in particular you want help on. We can schedule a visit in the studio to go over your wardrobe options(whether you are borrowing from the studio wardrobe or wearing your own) or conduct it virtually with a few email exchanges in advance of your session.
PRO TIP: DON’T DRESS YOUR BABY UNTIL YOU ARRIVE AT THE STUDIO!
If there’s one thing that’s true in life, it’s that lots of curveballs get thrown our way. Here’s a few examples of incidents that could happen on the way to your baby’s First Birthday session: a random bout of carsickness, a REALLY messy sneeze, a spilled bottle or snack cup….or perhaps your baby will manage to find a chocolate m&m buried in in the depths of their car seat….. You may laugh at this and think there’s no way these situations would occur…but these examples have actually happened to my clients. Fortunately, they had followed me instructions not to dress their baby until arrival, so the clothes were safe! If your best intentions go awry and your baby’s outfit isn’t usable (or you forget it!) don’t stress too much. I do have a limited baby wardrobe here that is very classic and timeless and that some of our moms choose to use. We can dress your baby in a pinch!
WHERE YOU SHOULD GET YOUR SMASH CAKE
A’s brought along a pink and white smash cake with buttercream icing from a local bakery up in Alpharetta where she lives. Unfortunately, the bakery had a MASSIVE amount of icing on the cake, and when we opened the box, we discovered that the icing had literally melted off and was a giant pool at the bottom of the box.
After the initial shock of seeing the cake, I reassured her that it would be ok because after all…the cakes do get smashed up anyway! I keep cake tools in the studio exactly for this purpose (this isn’t the first time this has happened!) I have found that bakeries are not in the business of designing cakes for the specific purpose of photos, and tend to overdo it with too much icing or icing that is too heavy - so when the cake is transported, it sometimes turns into a cake fail.
So how do you avoid this!? Don’t work with a bakery that doesn’t have a proven track record with smash cakes for PHOTOGRAPHY purposes. There is a big difference!
Publix, Kroger, and Whole Foods are all easy and convienent choices to get a simple smash cake or even a cupcake. They will not overdecorate your cake with their standard icing.
If you’re looking for a custom and personalized experience with your baby’s smash cake, or if your baby has egg allergies/ needs a vegan option, we have the perfect solution for you!
We highly recommend Christina with She Takes the Cake. Christina is our preferred and our ONLY recommend baker here in Atlanta. We are happy to connect you with her! She offers a delivery service where she’ll bring your baby’s smash cake to the studio in advance of your session. When you arrive, it will be here in pristine condition and waiting for you. Clients love this option because it’s one less thing they have to worry about the day of their session, and there’s not sweating and praying while transporting the cake. Not only are Christina’s cakes gorgeous, they are absolutely delicious - even her vegan ones!
Over the past five years, I have worked with Christina to develop the perfect buttercream consistency for our babies. It’s soft enough to interact with and smash, but not so sticky that it turns cleaning up your baby afterwards into a nightmare.. If you want to be 100% sure that you won’t have a cake disaster with icing melting off your cake or accidentally dropping it on your way up to the studio, working with She Takes The Cake is 100% the way to go!
IMPORTANT TIPS FOR YOUR BABY’S SMASH CAKE
Keep the cake simple! Don’t use fondant or add tons of distracting objects to the cake for decor.
Your cake should be a 6 inch diameter size or less and no more than two layers maximum. If you have a taller cake, it usually limits angles for photography since your baby’s face will be partially hidden behind it.
Real flowers are beautiful on cakes, but are not recommended. If you just HAVE to have some flowers, you should plan to remove them after the first few photographs. Why? Because they will most likely end up right in your baby’s mouth. This guideline applies to anything on your cake that is not icing- candles, decor, etc. It ends up being a distraction from the task at hand and can also obscure adorable facial expressions during their session.
Choose a neutral icing color (off white, cream, or pastels). Avoid neons or super bright colors that may stain skin and clothing, and will cause unwanted color casts in your pictures.
Don’t cover your baby’scake with shaved coconut. Yes, the textured aesthetic is gorgeous, but in my experience, most babies don’t like it. When coconut has been used, it ended exploration of the cake as soon as the baby felt the texture of it in their mouth and was followed with lots of crying and spitting it out.
Use buttercream icing only. DO NOT CHOOSE to use whipped icing, swiss buttercream, or fondant. Whipped and swiss buttercream icing is slippery, greasy, and horrifyingly MESSY. These icings are resistant to being wiped off your baby’s skin. If you use it, you will be wrestling your screaming baby while struggling for control and muttering under your breath, “For the love of Cheez-It’s, why won’t this stuff COME OFF?!?!?!.” As for fondant, it is very thick, and difficult for babies to get through to the actual cake with their fingers and eat so they lose interest quickly.
Skip writing a message on top of the cake (save it for the party cake instead) - it doesn’t photograph like you’re thinking it will.
FIRST BIRTHDAY SESSION FLOW
I refer to First Birthday sessions as my 3-in-1 sessions. I photograph solo portraits of your little one, family & parent portraits, and cake smash photos throughout. I started the session photographing A alone since she was a friendly and curious little girl. If your baby is on the shy side, I’ll start the session with them in your arms for family and parent images so they feel safe. Once I finished A’s solo portraits, I moved on to the family images. A’s aunt and cousin had come along too, and they stepped in for a couple of photographs as well!
THE CAKE SMASH
After we finished up A’s solo portraits and all the family images, it was time for the cake!
I demonstrate how you should present the cake to your baby before you actually do it (I know this sounds silly, but it really does matter!) You will never be left wondering about what you should be doing throughout your time with me because I’ll guide you through your session with verbal prompts and demonstration as needed!
When A saw her cake, she dove right in! A lot of parents wonder about what we do if their baby doesn’t like their cake. There is no guarantee that they will, because every baby is different with this! I’ve found that the majority of babies do enjoy it, especially if it’s presented with no pressure from anyone and kept fun for them.
If your baby isn’t really interested in touching their cake at first, you can help by getting into the photographs! Most babies love to “feed” their parents or to be fed by them. Make eating the cake a fun game for them but modeling feeding each other bites. Once your baby becomes interested, you can slowly back out of the frame and I’ll get those solo images of them covered in cake and icing while you watch and enjoy the cuteness!
Enjoy a few of my favorites from A’s First Birthday session!
If you're expecting a baby or already a parent and looking for a newborn, maternity, or family photographer, I would love to work with you to create images that you will love for a lifetime. Watch this video to hear about my philosophy and see how I work in the studio so you can determine if I'm the right fit for you. I can't wait to meet you!
Lily Sophia Photography specializes in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography in Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas.
