How to Prepare for Your Knoxville Cake Smash Photo Session
- Kelsey Wood
- Jun 14
- 3 min read
Updated: 10 minutes ago
HOW TO PREPARE FOR YOUR KNOXVILLE CAKE SMASH PHOTO SESSION
One of the most fun ways to celebrate your little one's first birthday is a one year cake smash photo session! Watching your little one dig in and explore their first birthday cake is a memory you're going to want beautifully preserved.
But how do you prepare for your one year cake smash session? I've got you covered. Keep reading for all the tips and tricks to preparing for your baby's one year cake smash photo session.
CHOOSE A THEME
This is one of the most difficult parts of planning your cake smash session! You can always use tools such as Google and Pinterest to find cute ideas. Here's some ideas to spark your creativity:
Seasonal Cake Smash Theme
Was your baby born in the fall? How about a pumpkin smash cake? Maybe a spring baby? How about flowers? Maybe you are like me and you have a Valentine's baby. You could lean into the holiday and make that your theme!
Pinterest is a wealth of ideas and has tons of example cakes. OR you could just pick the theme and let my cake baker do the rest!
One of my favorite cake smashes to date was a very simple cream cake with a gold 1 year candle on top. We did the photos in the Summer in front of a creek and little man wore overalls. It was precious (although I can't show you for privacy reasons).
Activity Smash Cake Theme
Maybe you're into camping or snowboarding or some other activity. Maybe you like painting or picnicking! You could lean into that.
Book Smash Cake Theme
Maybe you or your baby has a favorite book. Use that as inspiration! I've seen adorable cakes for a Hungry Caterpillar or even a Harry Potter theme. If books are important to you - use that!
Food Smash Cake Theme
Maybe your little one is obsessed with strawberries or watermelon or apples. Those all make for adorable cake smash themes!
Favorite Toy or TV Show Smash Cake Theme
Does your baby have a favorite toy or TV Show? Maybe she loves unicorns or bluey. Maybe he loves cars or trucks or boats. Maybe a certain Disney movie or character.
Color Smash Cake Theme
Colors are a complete theme. Whether you want multicolored or one specific color - there's an adorable cake out there for you.
CHOOSE THE PERFECT LOCATION
Once you have your theme, we can choose a location to compliment it! For instance, if you choose sailboats, we could go out to The Cove at Concord Park and shoot in front of the harbor! I love to work with my clients to find the perfect location to compliment their theme.
PREPARE TO GET MESSY
Babies are messy by nature. You've seen your little one eat for months so this should come as no surprise!
Be sure to bring things to clean up afterwards. Here's my short list of recommendations:
-water to rinse
-wipes to clean stubborn icing
-towel to dry your baby
-extra outfit for afterwards
-trash bag to transport messy clothes straight to the washer (I usually bring one for all my mamas!)
I will warn you - the cake will be thoroughly destroyed. You're welcome to attempt to take it home with you after your session, but it's probably not worth it!
PREPARE YOUR CHILD
For best results during your session, practice at home with your child. Let them touch and squish the food they're trying - maybe even give them a cupcake in advance!
Pro Tip: Make sure your baby has a clean diaper going into their session so they aren't overly fussy and can focus on the cake!
ENJOY!
The cake smash usually only takes 10-20 minutes depending on how interested in the cake your baby is. Don't worry about how messy they are, just sit back and enjoy the cuteness knowing you came with a plan to clean them up afterwards.
READY TO BOOK YOUR CAKE SMASH?
Reach out today to start planning your little one's cake smash session! I'm always happy to chat and help you with ideas!
