Cake Smash

I was so excited about Kalyn and Robert‘s request for Magnolia’s Retro Picnic Girls Cake Smash Photography Greenville SC!  Kaylyn and Robert vlogged their session at the studio.  So if you’d like to see a behind the scenes of a cake smash session, click here.

When Kalyn mentioned a retro theme to Magnolia’s images, my first thoughts were FLOWERS.  Lots of flowers. lemons, and strawberries.  I had fun to creating this little scene for the portraits before the cake smash.  However, I had more fun watching Kalyn and Robert’s miracle baby crawl through the set at lightning speed.  With her early arrival and extensive NICU stay, seeing her move that fast daily has to be sheer joy!

For the smash portion of the session, Christine at Baking Sweet Scents created a special order dairy free blush frosted naked cake.  It was beautiful!  I decorated it with a bit of lace and some purple ribbon and strung up a magnolia banner. Your cake and simple decor are included in your cake smash session fee.  I love collaborating with you and Baking Sweet Scents to create something that’s perfect for your vision.

After cake, babies are invited to take a bath.  For some babies, it’s just necessary before they get back in a car seat covered in frosting.  But for all babies, it’s an opportunity for a few more photos before they go home.  Magnolia LOVED the bath more than the cake as you can see.

Tonight, Kalyn and Robert’s story of infertility and pregnancy will be featured on UP TV’s Expecting.  Click here and here and here to see some preview videos.  I hope you’ll tune in!

Looking to book your own cake smash session?  Maybe a Retro Picnic Girls Cake Smash Photography Greenville SC?  I’d love to be considered to create a special set and special memories for your family.  Click here to contact me.

 

Dear Mama,

Don’t blink. Those long exhausting and yet treasured nights with your newborn will turn into fun days playing with a one year old who has more personality than you know what to do with.

One moment you’re snuggling your precious baby and the next you’re doing a Strawberry Lemonade Girl Cake Smash Greenville SC.  It happens so fast and it’s so wonderful.

Soon those protective older brothers who screamed and hid a bit during baby sister’s newborn session will be cuddling their little sister and making her belly laugh like no one else can.

These faces, sweet mama, are worth the sleepless nights, the constant correction, the neediness, the endless repeat of “mama”, and the sibling rivalry, exchanging the peaceful hours reading for loud wrestling and excitement all the live long day…

It’s all worth it.

One day soon, you’ll wake up and your baby will have babies.  You’ll get to relive the delight without all the constant-ness.  But don’t lose sight of the right now joy.

The joy of being sandwiched on all sides by a love you can barely contain.  Your little people are utterly amazing and that’s in no small part to you, mama.

The labor to bring them here is hard and the daily labor never ends. 

Oh, but it’s worth it.

I promise you, it’s all worth it. 

So when you see that beautiful face crinkled in laughter: celebrate all the work that brought you this far.

I’m cheering you on, sweet mama.  You’re doing amazing.

Love,

Melissa

P.S.  If you’d like to book your own Strawberry Lemonade Girl Cake Smash Greenville SC or Greenville SC Newborn Photographer, then I would love to capture for you how you feel each day as a mama.  Drop me a line here and tell me what you’d most like to remember.

I can’t tell you what a priveledge it’s been to be Ford and Emerson’s Baby Plan Photographer Greenville SC.  I’ve seen them as newborns, at one year, and now at two year old.  Here is a video of some highlights from the last three years.

Two Years of Ford and Emerson from Melissa Aldrich on Vimeo.

I look forward to continuing to watch these two grow up, but I have to admit two is a hard year to photograph.  Especially two times two!

Mom Jessica had wagered that Emerson would give me fits at the session, but it was Ford who showed up with sweet smile at the beginning of the session and then didn’t want to follow instructions as time went on.

Emerson was fairly fascinated with the whole process and although a little shy at first, she was eager to follow directions.

I love how Jessica read my 11 ways to Prepare a Young Child for a Photography Session post and found her own way to get them to smile.  She asked Ford and Emerson to make animal noises.  Who can keep from smiling when they are neighing or meowing!  It was perfect.

Many of the images of these two active two year olds together are actually composites: two images put together in Photoshop.  But this one sharing my bench made me smile and show both personalities so well.

Jessica, I am so grateful that you have trusted me to document these favorite memories in your miracles’ childhood.  You’re an amazing mama and I have been delighted to watch your babies grow.

Are you looking to book your own Baby Plan Photographer Greenville SC?  I’d love to be considered to make your dreams come true. Contact me today to share your vision for how your baby (babies?) should be captured.

I can’t tell you how excited I was about this Where the Wild Things Are Cake Smash Photos Greenville SC.

First, I have been with George since his newborn session.

And his six month session.

I absolutely adore his doting mamas so I squealed out loud when Lisa and Martha asked for a Where the Wild Things book theme.

I stock piled a romper from Lydia’s Hope Chest, created and hood and tail, ordered a banner, made some fun wooden cupcake stands, and commissioned cakes and custom cupcakes from Baking Sweet Scents.  It was so much fun preparing for this session!

George started out a little shy.  Most one year olds have a bit of separation anxiety in the studio.  But if mama sits next to them on the paper, they tend to calm down quite a bit and warm up to me.

When in came to cake time George did not disappoint.  He destroyed almost all of the fun monster cupcakes.  His mamas were roaring as George is usually a savory food guy.

But I promise he ate at least 3 of these cupcakes and destroyed another 2-3 by smashing them to bits.

You can see all of the evidence of his destruction here.

And here.

And here.

 

And here.

Seriously, George loved Baking Sweet Scents’ chocolate cake and frosting!  He couldn’t get enough.

And while frosting and cake made George happy, the bubble bath was not his favorite. At all 🙂

Lisa and Martha,  thank you so much for trusting me with your memories over George’s first year.  I have so enjoyed getting to know you and watching George thrive in your care.

Looking to book your own cake smash session?  Maybe a Where the Wild Things Are Theme for your son, too?  I would be delighted to serve you.  Drop me an inquiry by clicking here. 

 

 

I love when my newborn clients choose me again as their Greenville SC Cake Smash Photographer.  Here’s sweet Samuel at 6 weeks old.

And here is Samuel at one year old.  His joy is absolutely contagious!

Samuel is an early walker which made him want to wander around the studio and touch all the things. But it also makes for some hilarious cake fun!

Christine from the lovely Baking Sweet Scents does all of my cakes and I loved how this one turned out!

And these fun paper banners and sweet fairy lights just made our time together that much more fun!

Of course, we just carried the decor over while Samuel took his post cake bath.

I always tell my one year old parents that their kiddos will likely cry through either the cake or the bath.  One year olds are developmentally working through separation anxiety (even with a parent in the studio!) and becoming aware of so many new sensory experiences each day. Cake frosting can sometimes cause tears, but so can a bath in an unusual location.  Samuel was the rare baby not phased by either new experience.

He loved the bath and I about died when I saw the Santa Claus beard he gave himself.  There was just so much enthusiasm!

However, all one year olds tire out pretty fast so by the time the end of our session neared, Samuel was just tired.

But, of course, a few snuggles from mama are the perfect thing to fix a small case of the grumpies.

This mama series is one of my very favorite I’ve ever taken.  I’m such a sucker for the relationship between mother and child.  The joy and the growth they inspire in each other takes my breath away.

Looking to record your own little one’s Greenville SC Cake Smash Photographer?  I’d love to work with you!  Shoot me an email and let me know what you’re envisioning.