I was in for a big surprise at our little one’s first birthday cake smash. I wish I knew what I know now so I could have been prepared myself for what I was about to experience. A cake smash was something I knew I wanted to do with her from the time I found out I was pregnant, a little obsessed. These shoots are just so cute but in all honesty my girl hated it! She cried or moaned almost through it all and I know if I had thought about it more and asked about others experiences I could have saved us all the trouble. I must admit that the photographer we chose was so patient and professional and really captured some remarkable shots that we will get to enjoy (even the moany looking ones) for years to come.

CHOOSING A PHOTOGRAPHER

This could make or break the whole shoot and these don’t come cheap. Make sure that you and your child is familiar and/or at least comfortable with the photographer that’ll be capturing such an auspicious occasion. Take your time in choosing the best one.

TIMING YOUR SHOOT

Make sure to book the session that suits your child best. You know when your child will be the most lively and happy.

TRIAL RUN WITH YOUR BABY

More than half of babies DO NOT enjoy smashing a cake! Yes you heard that right. So, take my advice and have a test run and see how your child reacts to actually smashing a cake! Get them use to the idea so you can get some awesome shots on the day if not and they react completely horrified at least you won’t be wasting time or money on a fancy photoshoot!

DON’T FRET

Not all babies will dive in and destroy a cake, some will take some time and some will point blank refuse to have anything to do with it. This is where choosing the right photographer comes in hand. They will know exactly what to do and how to be creative and produce quality shots that still give you the cake smash experience.

PICKING AN OUTFIT

One of the most exciting things for me was dressing my little girl up in pink, tulle and pearls. Make sure that you choose something that’s comfortable and won’t irritate your baby. We went with a very soft tule fabric, a lightweight pearl necklace and an aliceband.  The tutu is totally DIY-able, just take cut up some tulle and knot it to a piece of elastic. Watch video here.

CHOOSING THE CAKE

Our cake was included in our package which was great. We went with a vanilla cake and pink icing. When  choosing the cake I would suggest picking a white cake and a bright or pastel colour for the icing making sure not to use fondant because this would be too hard to smash. Make sure the icing is nice and soft too before the photoshoot.

DECIDING ON A THEME

Your photographer will probably have props on hand but it’s always fun to have a custom theme shoot. Browse the internet for some awesome ideas. I know amazon sells some really inexpensive props too. So don’t be shy to bring things along. By choosing something that interests your child you are almost guaranteed a really good shoot with smashes and smears all in the right places!

LOCATION IS VITAL

Creating a calm environment for your little one is vital, you do not want to scare them or make them feel secure. I would highly recommend just being you, your child and the photographer only. Choose a place that your baby is familiar with and if you’re having anyone join you make sure your baby is comfortable with them too. However, choosing a studio is a lot less effort with cleaning because cake smashing is messy.

THROW IN SOMETHING FAMILIAR

Or at least have it on hand and ready to use just incase there’s a melt down. This could be a familiar toy or comforter. At our photoshoot we had her comforter which really calmed her down for a while as well as snacks and a wooden spoon!

BE PREPARED FOR A MESS

Cake smashes are really messy so be prepared with a change of clothes for everyone. We had our photoshoot at home which made this pretty simple. I ran a nice warm bath and had her clothes ready for the clean up. She was so stimulated by the whole experience that she fell asleep soon after.

OUR PHOTOGRAPHER DETAILS

With A Little Grace Photography 

Carmen Rowntree

Mobile: 33341683

Email: withalittlegrace@outlook.com

 

Did you do a Cake Smash photoshoot with you baby? Did they love it or hate it? Do you have any tips to add? Let me know in the comment section.

Keep Smiling,

Fazeelah

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