A Simple Woodland Cake Smash Setup for Baby Boy’s First Birthday

How is Lucas already a one year old?! This was our fifth session together thanks to our Collective Membership, and Lucas absolutely loved the camera! He was so comfortable in the studio, and he had a blast digging into his cake to celebrate turning one. Seeing babies be super comfortable with me is definitely a huge perk of being a part of the membership! 

For Lucas’ first birthday portraits, his mom and dad wanted to keep the setup super simple. We brought in elements of the woods, including the gorgeous pine tree trunks and greenery. With lots of fairy lights intertwined with the leaves on the floor, the setup became more whimsical and fun for this sweet boy. His outfit was also simple, but Lucas looked absolutely adorable in his overalls! 

My favorite portraits from his cake smash are actually where Lucas is smiling up at his mom and dad. His eyes just light up when he sees them, and I hope they always look back at these portraits and see the love that they reflected right back on to him. It was so precious to see those moments happen in real life and to have saved them forever for Lucas and his parents is beyond special to me! 

Happy first birthday, Lucas! I can’t believe you’re already such a big boy!! 

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A sugarplum fairy winter wonderland cake smash with Saratoga Springs baby photographer

Happy 1st birthday, Ella Kate! We’ve been documenting all of her milestones during her first year as part of the Collective Membership and yet, I can’t believe she’s already one! To celebrate the end of her first year, we created a beautiful Sugar Plum fairy winter wonderland cake smash inspired by her mother’s ballet memories! 

Ella Kate’s Mom was a ballerina as a child, and she brought her old ballet slippers and pointe shoes to incorporate into the setup. I loved that sweet personal touch to the winter setup - and it was fun to sneak in something that means so much to her mom, too! Winter wonderland is always a popular theme for babies, so I love that we learned more into the Sugar Plum fairy inspiration for Ella Kate’s portraits! The setup really came together with soft whites, peachy pink, and the sweetest ballet dancers lined up across the backdrop.

As always, I incorporated some portraits of milestone portraits of Ella Kate before we even got to the cake. I’ve fallen in love with using my white wooden high chair with my babies in the studio! It’s always been one of my favorite props because it’s so classic, but it’s fun to be using it regularly again. Paired with the wooden cake (a popular prop for the babies, too!), it’s a great touch to any cake smash. After Ella Kate got to play with her cake, we also wrapped up with my favorite bubble bath setup. I’m all about sending you home with a clean baby! Plus, who doesn’t love a little one playing in bubbles?! Parents always love these portraits! 

Happy birthday again, Ella Kate! Thank you for allowing me to capture another beautiful milestone for you!

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Timeless First Birthday Portraits with a Cake Smash

Baby Kennedy isn’t such a baby anymore! This little girl is now a year old! We celebrated with timeless first birthday portraits in my Saratoga Springs studio. Mom wanted a simple and classic session and to keep the focus on her birthday baby, which I totally get. With that in mind, we wanted to create really timeless portraits. I think we did it - and I hope you’ll think so too. Kennedy’s session really reminded me that sometimes less is more when it comes to a cake smash setup! 

We chose to do a simple backdrop of super white seamless paper, and let this baby girl be the star of the show! I’m a huge fan of simplicity, and I loved how timeless these portraits turned out. For some of the session, she got to sit in my favorite white highchair for her cake smash - with my infamous wooden birthday cake. Afterwards, we got her down and in her sparkly blue dress, she dove into the simple white cake we had for her. Kennedy was absolutely adorable and I LOVED watching her figure out how to get into the cake.  

It was also important to capture new portraits of her and her parents in the studio. Honestly, family portraits in the studio at this age are always so much fun! There’s also lots of laughs, big smiles, showing off their personality and new milestones achieved. Look at the big personality in the photo of Kennedy walking! Love it!!

Happy birthday, Kennedy! I loved planning and capturing your stunning timeless birthday photos. Enjoy this next year!

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Pink and Silver Winter Wonderland Cake Smash

Gabriella is one! To celebrate her first birthday, I had the chance to photograph her and her family again, as well as her winter one-derland cake smash! Andrea, Gabriella’s mother, is a member of our Collective Membership. We’ve documented all of her milestones with 4 sessions that follow her family from maternity all the way through the first birthday! It’s been so fun to watch her grow into the sweet little one-year-old she is now! PS. We’re currently  booking membership clients for 2024! This is perfect for your family if you’re planning to do 2 or more sessions over an 18 month period (not just for baby’s first year clients, either!).

Winter wonderland is a super popular theme in my studio. I loved the chance to put together another classic version of the winter wonderland cake smash. For Gabriella, we focused on a pink and silver color palette. I even got to bring in my new blush pink backdrop fabric that I have already used many times this winter (ha!). The sparkly cone trees were the perfect addition to her winter theme. Gabriella looked adorable in her pink and white tutu, complete with a silver crown. She was a winter queen for her winter wonderland smash, for sure! 

As I always do with cake smash portraits, I captured new family portraits for this sweet family of four. They chose a beautiful blue and white color palette, which was the total opposite of the pinks and silvers we used for the cake smash. Side by side, the entire session looks amazing together and I hope that this family will treasure the portraits forever! 

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A dreamy cake smash at the beach with Cape Cod Baby Photographer Nicole Starr Photography

Back when my son was a baby, I did a cake smash on the beach for him the summer after he turned one. That turned out to be my first ever cake smash at the beach, and since then I’ve done many first birthday celebrations at the beach while visiting Cape Cod every summer. Our daughter celebrated her first birthday in June, which was perfect timing for a cake smash later in the summer during one of our trips to the Cape! I absolutely love creating this special memory with my babies. 

We went to my favorite beach right at sunset, and we set up right in the surf where the water was coming up in gentle waves onto the sand. I love the effect it had in the portraits – completely dreamy! Adelaide looked so precious in her pink dress and enjoyed her cake. She actually dug right into her cake, and her expression when she is leaning into it with both hands and her tongue out just cracks me up! Her big brother helped towards the end and I can’t express how it made my heart swell to see my two babies playing together in the surf and the sand. 

This was definitely the messiest cake smash I’ve ever done between the frosting and the wet sand, but it was so worth it! Happy birthday to my sweet baby girl!

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A horse racing themed cake smash in Saratoga Springs

Happy birthday, Ivy! This darling little girl was born last year during the famous annual Whitney Race and upon her arrival, Heather immediately knew what her first birthday portrait theme would be: horse racing! I always love a chance to break out this uniquely Saratoga Springs backdrop and setup, and to do so in honor of a Whitney Race baby was even more special to me. Ivy’s mom not only used the theme for her portraits, but planned the entire birthday party around this theme too! SO fun. 

Before our cake smash, I met Ivy, Heather, and Lee in a wildflower field that they’ve grown to love over the last year. It’s a field the family frequents to gather their fresh fruit and veggies, so it holds a lot of meaning to the three of them. Ivy had the cutest little blue and white dress for our portraits in the field. She looked absolutely adorable, and everything just had this soft flowing vibe to it. 

After our time in the field, we headed back to the studio for Ivy’s first birthday portraits. Heather loved my vintage high chair and big ONE letters made of metal, so we made sure to incorporate them in our studio time. Heather chose the sweetest blue linen dress for Ivy to wear during her smash. She actually pulled some of the pastel orange and peach out of the backdrop for her cake, too. Such great attention to detail! It really helped everything for the smash come together. 

Ivy was gentle with her cake but had a blast. I loved seeing her little smile come out as she touched the icing and even got to play in our bath after the smash. She was utterly adorable and I had a great time with her and her parents marking this major milestone! Happy first birthday, Ivy! 

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A horse racing themed cake smash in Saratoga Springs NY with New York cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography

A Neutral Beige & White Balloon Garland Cake Smash

Happy first birthday, Westin! To celebrate this sweet boy’s first birthday, we planned a neutral beige and white cake smash in my Saratoga Springs studio. This session was a blast - and so gorgeous, too. I loved bringing Mom’s vision to life to celebrate her little boy!

Before we got into the cake smash, I captured updated mommy and me portraits of Westin and his mom, Chanel. Chanel wore a beautiful gray dress and Westin had a cream hand-knit outfit. He looked absolutely precious! I loved the texture on his sweater - little details like that always look perfect on camera and bring some depth to your portraits. 

Afterwards, it was time for Westin’s cake smash! Mom wanted a boho feel for the setup with all neutral colors and a classic balloon garland. I loved designing this set with beige, white, and cream balloons. I also pulled out some of my classic white lit ONE lights and with his cream colored cake, we were ready to go! Westin wore the cutest little crown with a cream outfit and he looked absolutely adorable while he figured out what to do with his cake. During the session, he also took his FIRST steps! I was able to capture that special moment on film for his family and I am so grateful I could. 

I hope this sweet little boy has the best birthday! I loved having him in the studio for this adorable boho inspired cake smash. 

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Baby Starr: Adelaide's First Birthday Cake Smash with Giant Floral ONE Letters

Our sweet girl is officially ONE, and it’s hard to believe that we’ve had her in our lives for a whole year now. Time truly did fly by at warp speed, and I feel like we just brought her home from the hospital and our son was cuddling her on the couch and saying in his tiny little voice, “Hi, Adelaide. Hi, honey. I love you!”

For Adelaide’s first birthday portraits, I wanted to do a classic floral cake smash with a twist. I purchased these 3-foot tall 3D metal letters and filled them with greenery, blush, and peach florals, with a few pops of anemones. I absolutely love how it turned out (and I can’t wait to use these letters in so many more cake smashes — check out another one here with BALLOONS inside the letters!).

This backdrop was truly a labor of love. The letters were handmade by an artisan in the Ukraine, and shipping took a few extra weeks to arrive. I needed a truly ridiculous amount of garlands to fill them with, and then I had so much fun adjusting the peach and white peonies, pink hydrangeas, white roses, and anemones to get them **just right** in the final setup.

It was all worth it, and our girl LOVED her cake smash!

Big brother Grayson wanted to help me in the studio. He has always loved being a part of sessions, and this one was no exception because it involved his baby sister and CAKE. He brings out the biggest smiles in her, and some of my very favorite portraits from this session are the ones where she is grinning and laughing at her big brother just over my shoulder.

I was sooooo happy when she leaned into her cake to take a big bite out of it! And I just adore those itty bitty fingers holding on to the frosting on the side of the cake.

Just look at how Grayson is making Adelaide smile in the one below! I love the bond that these two are developing.

Of course, baby girl absolutely loved her bathtub splash at the end. She didn’t want to get out of the tub when it was over! We had so much fun doing this session, and I can’t wait to frame a few portraits and add them to an album for our ONE YEAR OLD daughter!

Classic neutral cake smash with balloon letters

Happy birthday, Bennett! This classic neutral cake smash was super special to me because Bennett has the same exact birthday as our little girl Adelaide! I have been photographing this family’s milestones ever since they were pregnant with their first baby, and it’s such a joy welcoming them back into the studio and seeing their family grow and change. Bennett was the happiest little birthday boy and his session was a great time for all of us! 

Katie, Bennett’s mom, asked for a setup that was soft, neutral, and classic. We did a neutral “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” setup when her son Carter turned one, and I wanted to use colors that would complement his portraits. With that in mind, we stuck with whites, creams, and gold. I can already imagine the portraits being displayed together in their home! They’re going to be so pretty hanging together on the wall or in an album the boys will flip through together for years to come. 

For Bennett’s session, I picked up these gorgeous gold ONE letters. They’re my newest prop in the studio for our cake smash sessions, and I don’t think I’ve been this excited about a prop since I bought the tiny clawfoot tub six years ago! These handmade letter sculptures shipped all the way from the Ukraine, and I am already dreaming up all the different things we can “fill” them with for our birthday babies! Balloons, florals… the options truly are endless! I think the neutral ivory and peach balloons that we chose for Bennett’s portraits turned out to be the perfect option! 

Happy birthday, Bennett! I can’t wait to watch you grow! 

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Classic Winnie the Pooh cake smash with Saratoga Springs baby photographer

Happy birthday, Jordan! This sweet guy is already ONE, which I can’t believe! He came by the studio recently for his classic Winnie the Pooh cake smash. We used the most gorgeous watercolor illustrations for his backdrop and had a blast photographing the birthday boy. It was a sweet and absolutely adorable session from start to finish!  

When Jordan’s mom suggested this classic Winnie the Pooh theme, I was so excited. I absolutely love this theme! I’m a sucker for anything painted with watercolors, and these Winnie the Pooh designs were the perfect touch to this backdrop and setup. We used some wooden ONE letters - they were a team effort to collect! When this mom walked into the studio, she immediately recognized them and asked me, “Ohhhh, you got the last letter?” She had seen my post on Facebook searching for the letter E, because I already had the O and N, but our stores around here had no E! I had friends, family, and acquaintances across the country checking out their Michaels stores for this letter. One lucky friend found it and shipped it to me from South Carolina! I’m so glad that we found the E to include in Jordan's portraits! 

We’ve documented all Jordan and his big brothers, Jacob and Jonas, since they were newborns. Each boy has had milestone sessions from newborn sessions to cake smashes, and it’s truly been a joy to capture these memories for them. I can’t believe this sweet family is moving to a new state. I’ll miss seeing them in the studio every couple of months, watching them grow, and catching up on life! Clients really do become like family, especially because we’re together a lot throughout the portrait experience. From planning your session, to capturing your portraits, gallery reveal, and artwork delivery - I LOVE getting to know every family who comes into my Saratoga Springs studio. 

Happy birthday again, Jordan! I can’t believe you’re one and our studio sessions are done!

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A Tiger Jungle Themed Cake Smash with Saratoga Springs Baby Photographer

 I can’t believe Rhys is a year old! It seems like just yesterday, we were planning his newborn session and then he came in for his milestone portraits. Now, he’s a one year old and we had to celebrate with a fun tiger and jungle themed cake smash in my Saratoga Springs studio. I have worked with Rhys and his family to capture all three boys’ first year - so I knew his mom wouldn’t disappoint with another fun theme! I absolutely loved creating a playful jungle setup for Rhys to smash some cake!! 

Like his brothers, Rhys’ cake smash centered around an animal: a tiger. Both of his brothers also had animal inspired cake smashes, each one had a special significance for the baby. Rhys was born in the year of the tiger, so we incorporated a tiger into both his newborn & milestone portraits. We made sure to bring the tiger into his cake smash, too. I absolutely love how this came together with the jungle leaves and the stuffed tigers! His mom brought him in a super cute tiger outfit to tie it all together, too! 

During the cake smash, Rhys wasn’t super into his cake, but his big brothers loved digging in! It’s one of the reasons I always say “yes” to big siblings who come to join us - so someone will enjoy the cake!! Happy birthday, Rhys! I’m so happy I was able to watch you grow this past year. You’re such a little sweetheart!! 

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Throw the Confetti: A fifth birthday cake smash with friends

My son Grayson and his friends all have birthdays within 2.5 weeks of each other. I met these moms when we were pregnant – one at prenatal yoga, another at the hospital birth class, and another was a maternity client of mine. Our babies were all born at the same time, and we have been so lucky to have a built-in support group going through exactly the same stages at the same time as one another.

When the babies turned 1, we did a cake smash with a Saratoga race track theme. It was cute and chaotic, and so much fun! With their fifth birthdays coming up, we knew this was a big milestone that we wanted to celebrate. For many of them, it was their first really big birthday celebration in years because of the pandemic. We got the original four together to do a (cup)cake smash with a confetti theme, and it was such a blast! All of their personalities came through, and it was amazing to us moms as we watched them in this session and reflected on how their personalities today were so similar to the way they each acted during the one year old session.

I chose a confetti theme because it was bright & colorful, and oh-so-classic. Each child’s cupcake had their favorite color confetti sprinkles on top (and yes, I painstakingly sorted the sprinkles by color one at a time the night before the session!). This setup was so much fun to make, and while adapting my regular cake smash set (baby sitting on the floor) to accommodate four grown 5 year olds was a challenge, we pulled it off with a bench covered in white fabric and confetti dots to match the decor. I love how it all turned out, and I’m so happy that we’ll have these memories to look back on years from now and show our little ones these early friendships.

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A Girly Woodland Cake Smash with a Hint of Pink

Happy birthday, Reilly! Reilly is turning the big ONE, so we planned a sweet cake smash in my Saratoga Springs studio to celebrate this darling girl. When we began planning, her mom sent me an inspiration photo from Reilly’s nursery (which is gorgeous, by the way!). She knew that they wanted to incorporate the birch tree trunks, greenery, and a hint of pink into her cake smash setup. I immediately LOVED the idea - and I was thrilled she wanted to use inspiration from their home.

We were originally going to do Reilly’s session in November, but thanks to daycare germs and multiple illnesses, we had to postpone and wound up finally getting together in December. While I had initially planned a hint of pink with flowers and a few blush pumpkins, the holiday season found me changing it up a little bit with some rose gold ornaments and this gorgeous sparkly felt flower wreath. Either way, I absolutely adore the final results and this sweet family did, too.

After their session, Reilly and her parents had their reveal. We designed a gorgeous heirloom album with all of their favorite images. I love knowing that Reilly will get to turn the pages and look back on this celebration for years to come! It’s one of Grayson’s favorite activities and to think of other little ones doing the same with their own photos means the world to me.

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A Party Animal Cake Smash for Rocco

Happy birthday, Rocco!! I can’t believe that Rocco is already a year old. He was my first newborn session for the year. Now 2022 is almost over, and this guy is ONE! Time is flying by, seriously. We planned a fun cake smash in the studio to celebrate his milestone birthday. Leah, his mom, asked if we could plan a theme that matched his party invitations, so we designed a “party animal” theme! 

Between Leah and I, we were able to create a gorgeous setup for this little guy. We used lots of fun confetti filled balloons to create a garland backdrop and Leah brought in some stuffed animals she’s planning to use for the birthday party. While everything was colorful and bright - perfect for a one year old - we still managed to keep a pretty clean style, which I absolutely love (and am known for!). This style allows us to really focus on the birthday boy during his portraits!

As with all of my cake smash sessions, we made sure to capture some updated family photos of Rocco and his parents. We also got the most adorable updated photos of him alone in a sweet little plaid shirt. He even had a baseball cap for one photo! I love when we do these milestone photos, because it’s a great time to photograph your baby’s personality and new skills. Once those were done, it was time for cake! Rocco loved digging into the icing and even knocked his cake off the stand at one point. I’m here for it!! We ended their session with a little bath for him, which he loved. He was seriously so happy the whole session and that makes me super excited! 

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Mauve flowers and twinkle lights for a beautiful floral cake smash

Karina is a year old! I can’t believe this sweet baby girl is already a year old. To celebrate, we planned a gorgeous floral themed cake smash in the studio for her. To tie into her newborn portraits, we chose mauve flowers and twinkle lights. For those portraits, we used mauve accents and greenery. Put together for Karina’s cake smash, everything looked so beautiful. The entire setup felt super classic and elegant for this little girl!

Before Karina’s cake smash, we started with family portraits in Congress Park here in Saratoga Springs. We had a beautiful fall day and with all of the leaves on the ground, everything looked perfect. Karina’s big brother, Kaylen, was so excited to show her off and shower her with lots of hugs. It was sweet to watch them together!

When we were done, we headed into the studio to start her cake asmsh. Featuring a cake from Leah’s Cakery, Karina went right into it. She absolutely loved the icing! Kaylen couldn’t wait until he was asked to help, too. They were adorable together and I loved celebrating Karina’s first birthday! Enjoy a little peek into her cake smash!

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A tugboat themed cake smash for Baby Walter

Happy first birthday, Walter! We celebrated Walter turning one with a sweet tugboat themed cake smash in the studio. When we began discussing possible setups for his birthday portraits, Walter’s mom told me that his dad works on tugboats and she had a sweet tugboat romper that she wanted to pick up for him. Originally, we were just going to do a nautical theme for the smash – but once I saw that romper, I knew that we had to focus on the tugboats! Everything came together perfectly after that and I’m so happy with how these portraits turned out. 

During the smash, Walter was seriously one of the happiest cake smashers I’ve ever had in the studio. He was all smiles and very interested in his cake. At one point, his big brother Caleb jumped in for a few bites. It was hilarious seeing how quickly he was able to demolish the cake after his baby brother had been delicately picking at it for awhile before that.

Before the smash, we also captured updated family portraits in Congress Park! This is one of my favorite spots for portraits in Saratoga Springs. It’s important to me to always document the entire family – and a few non-cake smash portraits of the birthday boy or girl – at the start of each cake smash. Cake smashes are so much fun, but it’s nice to have a sweet and simple portrait of your little one, too! 

Enjoy a look into Walter’s tugboat cake smash today! 

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A succulent themed cake smash for baby boy

Happy first birthday, Colton! This little guy is a Baby Plan graduate. I’ve had the pleasure of documenting all of his milestones this year… from his newborn portraits, tummy time milestone, sitter milestone, holiday portraits, and even an extended family portrait session. Now, it’s time to celebrate with his very own case smash session. I’ve known this family since Colton’s big sister, Elliana, was little too. It’s been such a joy to watch them both grow.

When we began to plan Colton’s cake smash, we looked to his sister’s cake smash for inspiration. Elliana’s cake smash was also succulent themed. We wanted to change things up and make sure the entire session felt a little more “masculine” for Colton. WIth that in mind, we stuck to natural textures with gold accents. It was just perfect for this little guy!!

As with all my cake smashes, we also took the time for some updated family portraits in the Hall of Springs in Saratoga Spa State Park. I’m so happy I got to see everyone again and I can’t wait until their next family photos!

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First birthday portraits with a sage green and beige balloon garland

Happy first birthday to Kodah! We celebrated his first birthday with a stunning cake smash in the studio this spring. Like many babies, his cake smash decor was inspired by his nursery decor - which I absolutely love! There’s just something wonderful about using the colors and themes you already know and love for your baby! His mama sent me her mood board from when she designed his nursery and we used a similar color palette of soft green, beige, and white. With a few greenery accents, the setup was complete!

During our session, we photographed a few family and milestone portraits without the cake first. I love starting sessions this way because I get to immediately capture how you are as a family - and your little one has time to warm up to me before we try the cake! Kodah looked so cute in his little white button up and his parents looked so proud of him!!

They had even more to be proud of during our session. Kodah had a huge milestone - he fed himself for the first time during our portraits! His mom and dad were so surprised and happy, and it was such a fun way to celebrate him taking his first bite and bringing food to his mouth all by himself. Apparently cake was the magic food he was waiting for all this time! ;o)

Happy birthday again, Kodah!

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Cake Smash Portraits with Inspiration from Wedding Decor

I can’t believe Grace is one! I feel like she was just here for her newborn portraits 12 months ago. Now, we’re celebrating her first birthday. She (and her two big brothers, Charlie and Henry) came to the studio recently for her cake smash portraits and we all had a great time.

When I began talking with Grace’s mom about a theme and setup, she told me that she wanted to include similar colors and textures as they used at their head table in the wedding. First off, I LOVE that idea! How special and unique is that theme? The pictures had peach peonies, birch logs, eucalyptus and twinkle lights. I tied everything in the studio together with a beautiful wooden arch. The best part of this setup was that her Dad had no idea that would be the theme, so when he walked into the studio for portraits, he exclaimed, "Wow, this looks just like our wedding!". It was such a wonderful moment!

Grace had a lot of fun with her cake smash, especially once Charlie and Henry came to help her. They tried to feed Grace some icing and cake, then helped her smash it into the floor. That was when she really got into it. It was perfect!

Happy birthday, Grace!!!

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A cake smash with muted blues

Happy first birthday, Baby John! I loved photographing John’s classic first birthday cake smash here in the studio. It was a simple setup featuring a balloon garland of muted blues… and it was perfect for this little guy. When I began chatting with his parents about the theme and setup for his portraits, we knew that classic was the way we wanted to go. With a simple and muted color scheme, it was easy to achieve that look!

His parents decided on two sweet outfits for his portraits. John looked so grown up in his button down during his milestone portraits! And the little romper he wore for his smash reminded me of what we wore as kids. Definitely classic! With a taller and simple white cake from Kelly’s Kitchen, the setup was complete!

After John’s session, his family had their ordering session! They decided to order a gorgeous, hardcover linen album from his cake smash. It complements his newborn album perfectly! I love that they’re going to have both albums to enjoy for many years to come.

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