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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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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A Twinkle Twinkle Little Star Cake Smash for Carter

Another Baby Planner celebrated his first birthday with a cake smash at our Saratoga Springs portrait studio! I loved celebrating Carter’s first year with his family, and it’s hard to believe that this sweet boy is already ONE! Actually, he’s one and then some — we had to postpone a few times due to covid, but it was definitely worth the wait to capture these adorable portraits!

We planned a timeless and neutral Twinkle Twinkle Little Star cake smash theme for the birthday boy, using all cream and gold in the decor. It really makes Carter pop as the star of the show, don’t you think?

Read more about my obsession with neutral colors in the studio here!

Carter wore the cutest outfit with shorts & suspenders, and I love how classic it looked with the setup. These portraits are going to be timeless 20 years from now, and they will never go out of style!

He dug right into his cake and he really smashed it! The wooden spoon was a big hit and kept him busy!

We finished Carter’s session with a bathtub splash in our white clawfoot tub. Carter loved his bubble bath, and this cute photo of him singing (below) will be hanging on the wall in his family’s bathroom to make them smile every day.

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A red, white, and blue firework cake smash for a 4th of July baby!

Fourth of July babies are one of my favorite themes for the summertime!

Baby Axel was born on July 3, and I loved celebrating this little firecracker’s first birthday with a red, white, and blue cake smash. This gorgeous fabric flag is one of my favorite props that I’ve made (see it in last year’s cake smash with Oscar!) , and I spray painted fireworks on the floor for an extra special touch for the birthday boy.

Axel LOVED his cake! He was the happiest baby and he was all smiles and giggles once he tasted the frosting. He truly was the most efficient cake smasher that I have ever had the pleasure of photographing. I always like to look back at the timestamp on my camera for quick babies like this one, and he spent 8 minutes from start to finish with his cake, and less than 1.5 minutes in the tub! In the end we got a full gallery of smiles, laughs, and lots of cute little expressions from the birthday boy.

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Cake Smash Series: 70+ Theme Ideas for your Next Cake Smash Session

Your baby's first birthday is coming up, and it's time to party!  What better way to celebrate than with a portrait session?  Personally, cake smashes are my FAVORITE! 

We've come up with a list of the most popular (and also some of the most unique!) ideas for first birthday sessions and cake smashes.  We hope that you'll be inspired to plan a one-of-a-kind cake smash for your baby's first birthday!

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Classic themes:

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Construction/Trucks
Baseball
Nautical
Tea party
Circus
Flowers
Airplanes
Dr. Seuss
Rubber Duckies
Music/Band/Instruments
Sock Monkeys
Superheroes
Rainbow colors
Bohemian
Circus
Camping
Shabby Chic
Ballet

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Animals:

Unicorns
Teddy bears
Farm animals
Woodland animals
Ocean animals
Zoo animals
Bumble bees
Monkeys
Owls
Whales
Butterflies

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Seasonal:

Winter wonderland
Valentine’s
At the beach
Surf’s up
Cherry blossoms
Spring garden
Falling leaves
Halloween
Christmas
New Years Eve
Snowmen

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Classic Children’s Books:

The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Guess How Much I Love You
Corduroy
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Oh the Places You’ll Go
The Little Prince
Peter Rabbit/Beatrix Potter books
Where the Wild Things Are
Make Way for Ducklings
Blueberries for Sal
Goodnight Moon
Harry Potter
Winnie the Pooh
Peter Pan
Alice in Wonderland
 

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Food alternatives:

Spaghetti & meatballs
Watermelon
Pumpkin pie
Pancakes
Seasonal fruit (strawberries, blueberries)
Cheerios
Pineapple
Apples/apple pie for fall
Tacos
Waffles
Donuts
Ice cream
Pie
Cookies & milk

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You've got the perfect theme -- now what do you decorate with?  I provide all of the decor for my cake smash sessions at the studio.  Here are some of my favorite items I like to keep on hand to make our sessions a little more whimsical, creative, and fun!

Decor ideas:

Paper bunting in many shapes
Tulle balls
Tissue paper puffs
Twinkle lights
Patio lights
Lanterns
Cotton clouds
Hanging flowers
Ribbon streamers
Flower garlands
Eucalyptus garlands
Fake flowers to hang from the ceiling
Mason jars
Beaded curtains
 

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Don't forget to check out the other posts in our Cake Smash Series!