The Number One Thing I Wish Parents Knew When Planning a Cake Smash

Okay, so usually I only do happy stuff on the blog, but I just have to share something that’s been happening a ton lately that kinda makes me want to cry.

What is this tragic thing that’s been going on?

Parents calling to book a cake smash session for their little one—way too late.

This seriously makes me so sad! I LOVE doing cake smashes and I want so much for parents to have fun and memorable pictures of this special milestone. But when they call two weeks before their baby turns one? There’s just not enough time to create the beautiful custom cake smashes that I specialize in—and that they and their little one deserve!

So… the number one thing I wish parents knew when planning a cake smash?

Book early!

When to Schedule Your Baby’s Cake Smash

I recommend booking your little one’s cake smash 4-5 months before their first birthday. 3 months in advance is probably the very latest I might be able to accommodate. Seems crazy, right? There is a reason!

Why So Early?

I believe that the personal touch is what makes the party special! All of my cake smashes are fully customized with whatever theme you choose. And when I say customized, I don’t mean that I cobble together some props I already have to make it kinda-sorta fit your theme.

When I say customized, I mean it! I not only order the perfect outfit, but I also create each and every one of my custom cake smash sets by hand. Every one of them is hand-crafted with love—and that takes time. Sometimes weeks. You can’t rush perfection!

So…Is a Last-Minute Cake Smash Even a Possibility?

Not if you want it customized. If there’s room on my schedule, the best I can offer for a last-minute booking is a very simple backdrop—no cutouts—and my “ONE” prop.

And we can do so much better than that!

So do yourself and your kiddo a favor and schedule that cake smash session nice and early! In fact, how about now? Get in touch and let’s start planning! I can’t wait to start crafting your cake smash!

About Jennifer Parrello Photography

Jennifer Parrello Photography is a New Jersey based photographer serving the Tri-State area (NJ/NY/CT.) She specializes in capturing all the best moments of baby’s first year, from newborn to first birthday cake smash, and also offers maternity and family photography so that you can have beautiful portraiture of every stage of life.

Advice for Buying a Smash Cake for Your Little One’s First Birthday Photoshoot

A custom cake smash is my absolute favorite way to celebrate baby’s first birthday!

Cake smashes in my New Jersey studio are up to 1 hour long and include:

• Custom designed set

• Outfit from my client closet

• End of session splash

Hmmm…What’s missing from that list?

The cake!

I do not supply any food due to allergy concerns, so the one and only thing you’ll need to bring for your little one’s cake smash is the cake. Don’t worry though, it’s very easy to find the perfect smash cake—and it’s even easier with these tips!

Tips for Choosing the Perfect Cake

Sizing it Up

I recommend a cake that is 5-6 inches in size. Smaller than this and it will look more like a cupcake, larger and it will dwarf your little one! A 2-3 layer cake of about 6 inches is just right.

Vanilla Takes the Cake!

Vanilla is the way to go, as a white cake is less messy and won’t stain baby’s face, hands, or clothes. Same goes for frosting. Go with white and it will be a much neater and prettier experience!

Best Place to Buy a Smash Cake

You don’t have to go searching for specialty bakeries unless that’s your thing. Honestly, I advise clients to go to their local food store bakery. They make amazing cakes!

Custom Cake Smash

All of my cake smashes are fully customized with your chosen theme, color scheme, etc. We’ll chat about all of that beforehand so you can let the bakery know how you’d like your cake to be decorated. Remember though, the cake is just a prop. No need to stress out too much about how it’s decorated unless it’s super important to you. The big thing is that you and your kiddo have fun!

Take it for a Test Run

One other thing I recommend: Don’t let the first birthday photoshoot be the first time your child tries sugar! A few days before you show up at the studio, set them down on the floor with something fun, sweet, and messy to eat. (A tub of Cool Whip, yogurt, pudding, or a cupcake are all great options.) This test drive will help them be much more comfortable exploring their cake in front of a camera at the studio!

Book Your Custom Cake Smash in My New Jersey Studio

You can learn more about my custom cake smashes here, or reach out to book your session whenever you’re ready! You may also enjoy this post about how to get ready for baby’s first cake smash. I do recommend booking well in advance (about 4-5 months) as I build all of my custom sets from scratch. Quality takes time!

If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to reach out! Once you schedule your session I’ll send you a guide with all the details you need to have a successful smash. So excited to celebrate with you!

Baseball Cake Smash New Jersey

Batter up! Can’t wait to show off a few of the photos from this baseball themed cake smash in my New Jersey studio a few weeks back! This cute lil guy is a former newborn client of mine, and I couldn’t believe how much he’s grown. (I never can. You’d think I’d be used to it by now!) It is seriously the best feeling when a client books me again for a future session. Little man was amazing for his newborn session and I’d say his first birthday cake smash was a homerun too!

I always like to start out these milestone sessions with some traditional portraits and family pictures. You’re here, so we might as well, right? Doing these portraits before we really start swinging can also help little ones to feel more relaxed and ready to dive into cake when it’s time.

Since there’s nothing more American than baseball (and maybe apple pie, but we went with the cutest baseball cake instead), I set up the studio with lots of red, white, and blue balloons, plus a scoreboard as the backdrop and some genuine baseballs to finish it off. Customizing every session takes some extra work, but it’s so much fun and I get carried away with it every time! Totally worth it, don’t you think?

The birthday boy really knocked his session out of the park! He did great with his cake and loved his splash in the tub afterwards. These cake smash pitchers (sorry, pictures!) were so fun to create and this little all-star and I really had a ball together!

New Jersey Cake Smash Photographer

Ready to book a customized cake smash for your own little one? Don’t wait! The best time to book is at least four months prior to their first birthday, so get in touch now and let’s start planning!

Top One Cake Smash Photography Session

This little redhead was the cutest birthday boy, and his Top One cake smash photography session couldn’t have been more perfect! The Top Gun movie was coming out around the same time we had our cake smash planned for, so the stars aligned. Gotta love it when that happens.

I love customizing each and every one of my cake smashes so that it’s unique to each client, and this one was no different. We created an awesome setup for our little all-star, and he loved it! Check out that winning smile. Tom Cruise has got nothing on this guy!

We kept baby boy in the same outfit for portraits that we used for the cake smash, but with the addition of a bomber jacket that was just his size. Talk about cuteness overload! He was the happiest little guy and gave me tons of huge grins and giggles.

Although he enjoyed his portraits, the real fun started when we brought out the cake. This kid meant business and he went for it! You can see that we started with this beautiful three-layer creation—and in no time flat it was, well, flat! He was totally hilarious with his cake and thought smashing it and crawling through it was the best thing ever. At least, he did until bath time, at which point splashing in the tub became the best thing ever! He was just totally enthusiastic about everything and wasn’t shy about getting into it! His energy and enthusiasm mean that our Top One cake smash photography session was a blast from spectacular start to frosting-smeared finish.

Happy birthday, little man!

Interested in booking a cake smash photoshoot for your kiddo? Let’s talk! I’d love to help you plan an amazing themed birthday smash and can’t wait to transform my studio space to fit your vision!

Cookie Monster Cake Smash | New Jersey Cake Smash Photographer

C is for…Cake Smash!

C is for cookie—or cake smash—or both! When we were planning this session, Mom told me the birthday boy LOVES Cookie Monster! So we decided a Cookie Monster cake smash would be perfect. She also wanted the set to be unique—which I was happy to do! I designed and made everything so it could be truly one-of-a-kind. This is one of the things that sets me apart from a lot of other photographers: When I tell you your session is fully customized, I mean it! I want everything to be perfect for you, and I go above and beyond to ensure that your pictures are exactly what you’d hoped for.

A Custom Cookie Monster Cake Smash

These pictures are good enough to eat, don’t you think? A custom Cookie Monster setup, an incredible cake, and the cutest suspenders-and-bow-tie outfit ever. No wonder our session went so well! Our handsome little birthday boy had a fantastic time—the frosting between the toes proves it! (No worries, we cleaned that up in the bath afterwards. With some kids, cleaning up afterwards is half the fun! Bubbles, anyone?)

Family and Birthday Pictures

Before our Cookie Monster cake smash, we also did family pictures and formal one year birthday photos for him. These are add-ons to my cake smash collections, so if you want a few cakeless pictures as well, just let me know! We can totally do that!

New Jersey Cake Smash Photographer

Does your little one have a birthday coming up? There’s no better way to celebrate than with a super fun cake smash at my New Jersey photo studio! If you’re wondering when is the best time to book your cake smash, check out my previous blog post for some tips on when to book and how to get ready. And then, let’s get you on the schedule! I can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Cake Smash Photo Session | West Milford, New Jersey

Another great cake smash photo session in my West Milford, New Jersey photography studio! I love doing these! There’s just no better way to celebrate baby’s first birthday than with professional pictures—and creating a special photoshoot for their special day is one of the highlights of my job as a New Jersey baby photographer.

This little man was such a cutie! He had great expressions, and I loved capturing every single one of them for the camera. We wanted tons of balloons for these cake smash pictures, and he absolutely LOVED those balloons—and really everything about his session! I was glad he had so much fun. That’s what it’s all about!

I enjoy customizing my sessions, and always work closely with my clients to determine what it is they want. I had worked with this family before (for a holiday session) and I was delighted to have them back in the studio. Mom had this vision in her mind for her little guy’s one year birthday pictures, so I went all out to make it come to life! It really is my pleasure to make every session special.

Like I said, this little guy was a huge fan of balloons! He also loved the cake—and the splash! One of the things I love about being a children’s photographer is how genuine kiddos are and how they just embrace the emotions of each moment. It was so fun to spend a bit of time with this birthday boy and create images of this first birthday celebration that he and his family can treasure for years to come.

NJ Cake Smash Photographer

If you’re thinking of booking a cake smash photo session for your own little one, I hope you’ll get in touch with me! It’s my honor to provide some of the best cake smash photography in New Jersey, and I would love to create an amazing milestone photo experience for your baby!

Custom Stars and Light Cake Smash | Northern NJ Photographer

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and is getting ready for a fun-filled holiday season! It may look a little different for a lot of us this year, but as long as we have the love of family we have a reason to celebrate!

Birthday Cake Smash

I did this birthday cake smash photoshoot back in October, when the weather was just starting to turn chilly. All of my cake smash sessions are fully customized, so I always ask parents what kind of a look they’re going for and if there’s a particular theme they want. Mom told me that baby girl’s name means “light,” so she thought it would be fun to play on that theme. What a great idea! I filled the studio with twinkle lights in preparation for their session. Also used light-up star props and lots of white to reflect the light and give our photos some sparkle. It turned out just like we were hoping.  

Although we spent most of our time in my New Jersey photography studio, we also did a few outdoor shots with baby and her parents. Including parent photos in your baby photography session is a great add-on! Lots of people book that add-on when they schedule their child’s photoshoot. It’s the perfect way to document the big one-year milestone. Plus, you get updated, professional family pictures at the same time. Win-win!

Book a Photo Session

This has been quite the year, and that’s all the more reason to document how your family is growing and thriving throughout it. Professional portraiture is the perfect way to hold on to precious memories forever. So if you want to document a major milestone, create beautiful family photos, or record the newborn sweetness of a brand new little one, I hope you’ll contact me! In the meantime, I hope your holiday season is just as merry and bright as this beautiful birthday session!

Elephant Cake Smash | New Jersey Photographer

Northern New Jersey Cake Smash Photo Session

Had a great time creating a custom cake smash photo session for this cute little birthday boy. A lot of times my cake smash kiddos are also babies I photographed as newborns, but this was the first time I’d met this little guy and his family. They are such sweet people and I loved getting to know them.

This young man was such a happy boy. He smiled almost the whole time and loved posing for the camera. Aren’t his outfits the best? Baby boy and bow ties were meant to go together!

More About Cake Smash Photo Sessions with Jennifer Parrello Photography  

Cake smash sessions are such a fun way to celebrate (or get ready for) baby’s first birthday. I recommend booking this type of session a couple of months before baby turns one so you can have the pictures ready for those first birthday invitations or decorations at the party. Can you imagine any decorations cuter than these? I sure can’t!

All of my cake smash photo sessions are fully customized, so just let me know what you want and I will make it happen! For this photo shoot I designed a custom set based on the theme of this little man’s nursery: baby elephants. Honestly though, the sky is the limit! Looking for rainbow and unicorns for your little girl? I can do that! Or maybe your toddler is getting into astronauts and outer space? Don’t worry—I can design a set that is out of this world. 😊

Book Your Cake Smash Photo Session

Thinking of booking a session for your little one? Please feel free to contact me with any questions. I’d love to chat with you and welcome you to my NJ photography studio to create some wonderful memories together!

A Wonderful 1st Birthday Session!

Nothing better than turning the big ol' 1!  Such an exciting time for families and for the birthday girl/boy as well.  This birthday girl absolutely LOVED hanging out and getting her photos taken.  Her big brother wasn't camera shy either.  <3