Cake Smash

I was so excited to do Boho Princess Cake Smash Photography Greenville SC for Kylie. You see Kylie is a Quiet Graces baby. I did her newborn session, too!  You can see her full newborn session by clicking here.  However, here’s a quick peek of her Greenville SC Newborn Photos.

I never get over how quickly babies grow up right before our eyes. Look at how much Kylie has grown! And we did her cake smash session at 10 months as her family had just become world traveling digital nomads. 10 months was when they were in town for a family event. And Kylie was already walking!  Slow down, sweet girl!
This face here totally cracks me up. Since she was walking, Kylie wanted to stand up immediately and just get moving. But it’s like she’s horrified that we wanted her to stay in just one place. So I proceeded to entertain her with a box and silly faces to keep her still for a few split seconds.
Finally, we changed into Kylie’s cake smash outfit that her mama had made just for her. And proceeded to the main event. Cake!!!!
Clearly, Kylie loved every last bite. I loved the boho princess theme that Kylie’s mama chose for this session. It’s delightfully girly without being overdone. Since Kylie’s family is traveling, this outfit was donated to the studio wardrobe and this exact set is always available for use in the studio.
We finished the session with a sweet flower and milk bath which Kylie adored. I started including these to do cake clean up and get a few extra images, but they have quickly become my very favorite part of a cake smash session. We capture all of the genuine emotions from joy to tears in a bath. Looking to book your own Boho Princess Cake Smash Photography Greenville SC Session inspired by Kylie’s?  I’d love to hear about your vision. Send me an email with your cake smash vision by clicking here.

I had a blast with Finn at his Fun Timeless Boy Cake Smash Simpsonville SC.

I always tell my cake smash clients that usually your baby won’t cry for either the cake or the bath.   Actually, I say it oppositely: usually your baby won’t cry for both the bath and the cake, but will probably cry for one.  Rarely do they cry for both… but even then I usually get some amazing cuddling relationship images.

Finn was the rare baby who cried for neither cake nor bath.  And he had a blast both smashing his cake and splashing his bath.  It was delightful! I could have watched him play all morning long.

Here’s a few fun videos of the chaos!  Can you believe it?

Finn’s Cake Smash from Melissa Aldrich on Vimeo.

Both mama, Shayla, and I had blue fingers and hands from steering his exuberant self back onto the seamless to make more of a mess.  And in case you doubt how much he enjoyed Christine of Baking Sweet Scents‘ frosting… well here is the full evidence.

Oh my word. I have never had such a gloriously messy roll of seamless paper before.

And then there was the bath. Deep and gloriously full.  Too tempting not to splash.  So Finn splashed. Everywhere!

Until the studio floor looked like this and I had to run and get a heap of our pool towels to clean it up!

So much fun!

We finished our session with some really sweet family portraits as Finn got tired out from all of the activity.

My favorites from this portion are the details.  Light on Finn’s belly button.  This sweet thumb sucking.  It makes my heart burst.

Shayla, thank you for choosing me.  I have so enjoyed getting to know you and do life with you a bit. I’m always amazed and the new friends God brings my way through work.  I’m grateful for you.

Interested in booking your own cake smash session (and maybe making a new friend?), I’d love to enjoy seeing how your little one responds to destroying their cake! Drop me a line by clicking here.

I had a blast photographing Caleb and big brother Porter in this Greenville SC Simple Fun Studio Cake Smash Photography Session.

Porter and Caleb were like peanut butter and jelly. They are the best of friends and wrestling partners. I know this bond is one that mama Christine treasures.

And it was so much fun to photograph their antics. I love how much fun Caleb is clearly having with Porter. Baby brother’s have a special resiliency.

Porter made me laugh so hard with his antics.  He’s just so full of joy. It was easy to see how loved he was and how much delight his parent’s find in him.

Caleb is a total ham. He couldn’t get enough of the me.  He may have even tried to snatch the camera from my hand while enjoying a round of peak a boo!

Christine requested a cactus theme to match Caleb’s room and I loved the unusual request. The understated greens and succulents were so fun together.

Every cake smash session with me includes a simple backdrop like this and a cake from the amazing Baking Sweet Scents.  I love planning the session set with parents.  I also love being told a theme (cactus? boho? ballet? Mickey Mouse?) and creating a surprise for my clients.

After Caleb had a chance to eat cake and Porter had played with his dinosaurs with daddy, Porter joined Caleb in cake destruction.  I actually still have one of these dinosaurs on my desk.  I meant to mail it with Christine’s thank you gift, but forgot.  And everyday it reminds me to pray for these sweet boys.

I like to finish cake smashes with a bubble bath to rinse off and to catch a few more fun images. This progression is perfect!

And, yes, Porter joined Caleb too!  First behind the tub.  Then he jumped in, sending cascades of water all over the studio.  Mama and daddy were freaking out and I was LOVING it.  Look at this perfect joyful naughty face as mama rescued Caleb from being squished.  I was soaked and it was so worth it.

Do you want to capture your little one’s first birthday with their sibling? I’d love to talk to you about your vision and help it become a reality. Click here to tell me about your Greenville SC Simple Fun Studio Cake Smash Photography dreams.

Mickey Mouse Boy Cake Smash Photography Spartanburg SC isn’t my usual style, but it sure is fun to do something a little bit out of my normal.  Thaddeus rocked his session in his Mickey ears, bubble bath, and we captures some sweet and classic family portraits as well.

You can watch the whole session in the video below or read on for some of my favorite highlights.  If you’re interested in booking your own one year old cake smash, click here to let me know what you’re envisioning.

Thaddeus from Melissa Aldrich on Vimeo.

What Your Cake Smash Session Includes

Cake smashes with me come complete with simple backdrop decorations, and a simple, delicious, custom cake from Baking Sweet Scents. There’s also a studio wardrobe for you to pick from if you’d like.

One Year sessions also include family portraits.  Please don’t miss this opportunity for family pictures.  I promise you won’t regret it.  Plus, one year old babies often need a quick cuddle of reassurance in a strange new place.

I love how you can feel love like Blue Ridge Mountain mist in these family portraits.  How adored is Thaddeus?

Like all one year sessions, we spent a lot of time chasing Thaddeus around and placing him back into the center of the backdrop.  This is totally normal for one year old babies. I always recommend that mom and dad bring workout clothes for after their family portraits. Photographing a one year old is like herding cats!

Finally, one year sessions end up in the bathtub to clean off, but also for some additional photo fun.  It’s so nice when baby is contained in the tub for a bit. 😉  I love finishing sessions this way!

Still reading?  Thinking about your one year old session and wanting some more information?  Drop me a line today. Tell me about all the details you never want to forget in your little one.

I was so excited to serve Joshua and his family again for their Timeless Fun Simple Boys Cake Smash Photos Simpsonville SC.  We had a blast at this session.  This slideshow show all of Joshua’s images, but I’ll highlight a few selected images below as well.

Here is an image of Joshua’s newborn session from last year. See the rest by clicking here.  I always find it astonishing how much little ones grow in just one year.  It’s the reason I specialized in maternity-1 year when my oldest girls (twins) were just 9 months old.  I wanted to capture ever single second of their growth. Now I get to do it for amazing clients like Joshua’s mama Angela.

One year old babies are buckets of emotions.  From crying, to cuddling mama, to laughing, to playing in frosting, to crying in the bath, and everything in between, there is no way to predict what emotions your little one will display.  Parents always worry just a little about whether I caught any “good images.”  And they’re always delighted when the look at all the images in their proof gallery.

I recommend that mama wear something pretty for portraits (or borrow from my Mama Wardrobe) and bring workout leggings for helping me chase after baby!   Nothing escapes frosting covered babies who move so fast! Chase, grab, and place while quickly snapping a few is the way a one year session runs!

I also love ending my one year sessions with a bath. It’s great to clean up baby and provide an opportunity for more images.  Most babies cry for either the cake or the bath. Joshua was not having his bath!  I love that Angela chose this image for her final gallery.  It’s so good to remember these sweet dramatic faces as much as the happy ones.

Interested in booking your own Timeless Fun Simple Boys Cake Smash Photos Simpsonville SC?  I’d love to help you make your dream come true.  Cake, simple decor, and some wardrobe options are included in your one year session.  I love making your visions come to life.  Click here to share your cake smash vision with me.