How to Prepare for a Cake Smash Session | North Georgia Cake Smash Photographer | Exploring North GA Photography

Ah the cake smash! Your little one is finally ONE, it’s time to ceeelebrate! There’s no sweeter way to honor this huge milestone. Below you’ll find some tips and inspiration to plan the perfect, stress free cake smash session for your love bug.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

I will start the session by capturing detail shots of the cake. We want to make sure to document it, before it gets destroyed by baby fingers! While I’m doing this, you will probably be getting baby dressed if needed, hair brushing etc. Then we will move to some simple milestone shots. ex: baby on a blanket, with a balloon and a background of streamers tied to a tree. This could be in a different outfit than the cake photos, if you want! From there I’ll have mom and dad jump in for a few photos before we introduce the cake. We want to save the cake for the end because it’s going to get m-e-s-s-y! (as it should!) If you want to use any props for the set up, let your photographer know so she has an idea of what your vision is. A little white stool, a cake topper, a letter board, confetti, bubbles, or balloons are some great examples that can add a fun twist to the shots.

WHAT TO BRING:

• A personal, 4in baby-sized cake. (I recommend white frosting with touches of color for detailing, or a cake topper that has some color to it, or glitter)

• Cake smashing- ready outfit (make sure you’re okay with it possibly staining)

• 2 photoshoot outfits for baby, (more choices- why not!)

• An additional easy-to-change-into outfit for the ride home

• Change of clothes for parents, just in case

• A towel or two

• A neutral (white/ tan) blanket or bed sheet for baby to sit on

• A cake stand or crate if you want one

• A garbage bag/ grocery bags

• Diapers/ diaper cover

• Water in a sippy cup

• Your child’s favorite snack ex: cheerios. Sometimes babies don’t like to dive into the cake, so we’ll have to bribe them to sit next to the cake in other ways :p

• Some toys or jingle bells to keep your little ones attention on the camera, if needed

HOW TO STYLE YOUR SESSION:

The best place to start is by deciding the theme of your session. (If you want one). My girl’s first birthday was honey bee themed, so I decided to decorate the cake smash as such. Once I knew what I wanted the cake to look like, I then picked out her outfit which was simple + white. If you already have your outfit picked out, you could reverse it and pick out the cake + colors based on the coordinating outfit. I’m always here for suggestions and advice, so If you have a question as to what will look good or not, shoot me an email at hello@exploringnorthga.com and I’d be happy to guide you through the styling!

Neutrals will always photograph stunning outdoors, and we never want to have too many patterns happening in the photos, because they will be distracting. Keep this in mind when you’re picking out your outfits! Thankfully I break all this good stuff down in my style guide which you can find by clicking the button below. Additionally, I’ve provided some inspiration to get you thinking about your cake smash session. Don’t stress, this is going to be a blast!!!