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Your child’s first birthday is a huge milestone. And, if you are over the top like me, you must go all out to decorate and hire a photographer to capture the occasion.
Here are some tips to make your cake smash session a great one!!
1. Hire a children’s photographer. There are tons of photographers out there. As a photographer and parent myself, I KNOW that there is a difference between an off-the-street photographer and a child photographer. Make sure you hire a photographer who is experienced in capturing this amazing event. Kids will act differently around photographers who know HOW to interact with children versus a photographer who hasn’t been around kids. Seriously. Not to stereotype, but if its an artsy-twenty-year-old guy who’s the only child in his family, chances are, he might not be the right fit to be the photographer for your kid’s cake smash.
2. Have a vision for the shoot. And yes, the photographer should have a vision. But ultimately, you need to let the photographer know what theme you are thinking of. What color palette/theme are you thinking? What outfits? Are you bringing props? What props should you bring? Better yet, create a Pinterest board so you know what you want to do!
3. Remove other toys. You do not want to have other toys in the photo. Possibly have one on hand to distract while the photographer is taking photos of the cake.
4. Get an awesome cake. You can find awesomely decorated cakes for under $30. Do not go to a grocery store and buy them. You can usually find a cake decorator in town – just ask for referrals from BRIDES who are looking for their wedding cakes. They can usually give you recommendations on the best cake bakers in town! I know some parents don’t want to spend that kind of money on a cake. But if you are going to pay a photographer, why not pony up $30 for some cake that you can take home after the smash?!
5. Get two outfits: the cake smash outfit and the birthday suit. (Kidding on the two part. Birthday suit = no clothes).
6. Lastly, know that everything won’t go as planned, so roll with the punches. Case and point: We (or I) had planned for this awesome cake smash shoot in a field half an hour a way that had been on the books for months. And then it rained on us. And both kids freaked out. Everyone was hysterically crying. Ryan was doing his best not to be infuriated at me.
For some inspiration, here are the cake smashes that I did for my own girls. And check out this link for some cake smashes that I’ve done for others! And if you are wondering where to get these chiffon tutus, head over to my mom’s etsy shop here.
They grow up so fast don’t they?!
Aubrey’s Cake Smash:
Ansley’s Cake Smash:
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