First Birthday & Cake Smash Photography
A first birthday is such a massive milestone, and our celebratory sessions are the perfect, joyful way to record this special occasion.
What to Expect From Your Session
We love creating a fun, multi-styled experience for your baby. A typical first birthday session includes 3 to 4 distinct mini-setups:
- Classic Portraits: Timeless studio portraits of your baby before the mess begins.
- The O.N.E. Letters: Beautiful, celebratory photos with our signature giant letters.
- The Cake Smash: Pure, messy fun as your baby digs into their first birthday treat.
- Splash & Bubbles: A delightful clean-up session in our mini roll-top bathtub.
We Handle the Details
To make your experience entirely stress-free, we provide all the beautiful outfits and the cake—so you don’t have to worry about sourcing special costumes.
Bringing the Family Along
Parents and siblings are always incredibly welcome to join in the photos (and we promise to keep you cake-free!). Before the big day, we will send you a personalised session plan to help us tailor the setups exactly to your style and requests.
Prefer a celebration without the mess? We are always happy to capture beautiful 1st birthday portraits without the cake smash. See below for further details.
Planning for a 2nd, 3rd, 18th, 21st, or 50th+ celebration? Please take a look at our Other Ages Birthday Page.
Tommy’s 1st Birthday Cake Smash
Cake Smash Photography FAQs
We recommend scheduling the session for when your baby is 11 months old. This ensures that your images are fully hand-edited, finished, and ready for you to use for invitations, party decorations, or social media announcements on their actual first birthday. Equally, if this is not important to you we love doing the session on or around their birthday too.
Yes, we provide everything (please advise on allergies) but you are welcome to bring your own if you prefer.
Please don’t worry at all! Turning one is a big milestone, and every baby reacts differently to the texture of icing. We never force the session. We use a gentle, playful approach, introducing a wooden spoon to help them dig in, or playing their favourite music. If they really dislike the mess, we pivot to a classic ‘first birthday portrait’ instead. We always get beautiful galleries regardless of how much cake actually gets smashed!
It gets beautifully messy—which is exactly what makes it so fun! The good news is that we handle the entire cleanup. Our sessions end with a delightful, warm ‘Splash Session’ in a mini roll-top bathtub filled with bubbles. This not only lets us capture gorgeous, splashy tub photos, but it also means you get to take home a completely clean, happy, and ready-for-a-nap baby.
We handle the details so you can enjoy the moment. Once your session is officially booked, we will email you our complete, stress-free ‘What to Pack’ checklist and styling guide so you know exactly how to prepare for your baby’s big milestone!”
Session Fees
Cake smash sessions are booked with a session fee, with digital images and artwork purchased separately after your viewing gallery. Full pricing information can be found here.
1st Birthday Session with Cake Smash
Studio
£69
a date a time to suit you
bespoke session plan
up to 2 hours in the comfort of our Cotswold studio
use of our clothes, props and backgrounds
a yummy cake (please advise of any allergies)
beautiful retouching of your images
a personal viewing and ordering appointment
one mounted 7×5″ print of your choice
1st Birthday Session no Cake Smash
Studio
£49
a date a time to suit you
bespoke session plan
up to 2 hours in the comfort of our Cotswold studio
use of our clothes, props and backgrounds
beautiful retouching of your images
a personal viewing and ordering appointment
one mounted 7×5″ print of your choice
This page was last reviewed and updated in June 2026.