Dec 17, 20213 min read

How To Plan a Cake Smash Photo Session for Your Baby's 1st Birthday

Cake Smash photo sessions are some of my favorites to capture! They’re unique to your individual child’s personality and make adorable mementos for years to come. In this blog post, I’ll break down exactly what a cake smash session entails, when to schedule yours, what to bring, and I’ll share some of my favorite past cake smash photos for inspiration.

What is a cake smash?

A cake smash is a great way to celebrate your little one turning a year older! These photoshoots are typically themed and involve the parents bringing a special cake for their child to taste and smash during the photo session. Cake smashes are so much fun to photograph and provide such fun photos to look back on as you remember your child’s first year.

These sessions can get a little messy, so we will typically end the session in my infant bathtub photo prop, which works to help get your little one all cleaned up and add a few extra fun photos to your album. Keep scrolling to see some examples of past cake smash photo sessions I’ve done in my studio!

Smash something other than cake!

There are endless options for what your child can smash during their cake smash photoshoot! In my opinion, the messier, the better!

Here are a few ideas:

Spaghetti
Pizza
Doughnuts
Watermelon
Cookies
Cupcakes
And SO much more!

Have an idea you don't see listed here? Let's chat about it when you book your session!

When to schedule your cake smash photo session:

Cake smash photoshoots are typically done around the time of your child’s first birthday to commemorate this special milestone! We can even include props like hats, cake toppers, banners, the letters "O-N-E", or a large #1 that indicate your child is turning one year old.

Where will the cake smash session take place?

Your cake smash photoshoot will take place in my beautiful home studio in Colorado Springs, CO. I created this beautiful space to be a quiet, peaceful location for my studio sessions with lots of natural light, a comfortable seating area inside the studio so you can watch the photo session take place, and lots of beautiful prints and albums to browse. Take a virtual studio tour here.

If a studio session isn't your vision, we can also schedule your session in one of these beautiful outdoor locations around Colorado Springs, Colorado. Don't see your preferred location below? Let me know when you book your session. We can find the perfect location for your cake smash photoshoot.

Garden of the Gods
Bear Creek Park
Ute Valley Park
Monument Valley Park

What to bring to your cake smash:

All you will need to bring is the special smash cake (or other smashable food item!) and any props that you have that you’d like included (for example, a specific outfit, toy, family heirloom, etc.) When you book your session, we will talk through all of the details about the theme of your child’s cake smash. This will allow me to make sure I’ve got the props and backdrops I need to fulfill your vision. And that’s it! It’s that easy!

Let's plan your child's perfect cake smash session!

Cake Smash photoshoots can be anything you'd like! If you have a great idea for your child's cake smash, share it with me at the time of your booking and we can be sure to create the perfect photo session for your little one's big day!