Connecticut Cake Smash Photographer

A Custom First-Birthday Session in New Haven County

Turning one is such an important milestone, and it’s one I love to capture. A first birthday session is about so much more than the cake smash — it’s a chance to preserve your baby exactly as they are at this fleeting stage, from their expressions and personality to all of those little details you’ll want to remember.

For Maya’s first birthday session, her mom wanted the portraits to coordinate with her birthday party theme. We worked together to create a custom setup that felt sweet, colorful, and personal to her celebration.

Creating a Custom Cake Smash Setup

One of my favorite parts of planning a one-year session is creating a setup that feels unique to each baby.

For Maya, we used a warm palette of soft peach, yellow, cream, and dusty pink. A balloon arch framed the set, while delicate flowers added another layer of detail and helped tie everything together. The goal was to create a backdrop that felt festive for her first birthday while still keeping the portraits soft and timeless.

These details may look effortless once everything is photographed, but there is quite a bit of thought that goes into creating a cohesive setup. From choosing the colors and props to arranging each element, every piece is selected to complement the final portraits.

More Than Just a Cake Smash

Before bringing out the cake, we captured a variety of portraits of Maya enjoying her session and showing off her personality. At this age, babies are constantly changing — their expressions, little mannerisms, and the way they interact with their surroundings are all part of what makes this stage so special.

And Maya certainly gave us plenty of personality to capture!

Once the cake came out, she was ready to dig in. She embraced the experience completely and gave us all of the adorable expressions and messy little moments that make a cake smash so much fun.

The result is a gallery that includes both beautiful milestone portraits and the playful cake-smash images that document this special first birthday.

A First Birthday Worth Remembering

Your baby will only be one once. While the cake may be gone and the birthday decorations eventually come down, these photographs become a way to remember exactly who they were at this moment.

Whether you envision a simple and timeless setup or a completely custom-designed theme, I love working with families to create a one-year session that feels personal to them.

Maya’s session was such a beautiful example of how we can take a birthday theme and turn it into a thoughtfully styled portrait experience.

Interested in planning a custom first birthday or cake smash session? Learn more about our One-Year & Cake Smash Portrait Sessions and see how we can create something special for your little one.