Birthdays are a cause for celebration, in particular a first birthday is always a special milestone in both the parents and child’s life. As parents your life changes in every way when you welcome your precious little one into the world. One year on your lives have been filled with so much joy and beautiful memories, so a first birthday party is as much about you as parents as it is your baby. Since your baby isn’t yet old enough to demand a Peppa pig themed party (this wont be the case in the next few years) its up to you as parents to decide how you mark the occasion. Here’s some ideas of how to create the perfect birthday party for you all to enjoy.

1. Choose your theme - Be creative and think about something that’s going to last and look fabulous in photo’s. Think about what your child likes and what suits their personality. Once you’ve chosen your theme you can plan your decorations, party favours and cake smash photo’s around it. Pinterest is a great place to get ideas and some popular themes currently are Disney characters, classic children’s literature (The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Peter Rabbit etc) and woodland animals.

2. Choose your guest list - At this stage in your child’s life its going to be less about their friends and more about your close friends and family coming together to celebrate.

3. Plan the party around your baby’s nap time - This is absolutely vital to ensure that everyone has a great time. If you’re inviting other babies and toddlers its impossible to plan exactly around everyone’s schedule however generally speaking earlier in the day is better for young children. Its also important to consider how long the party is going to last. So much sensory stimulation and excitement will tire the birthday girl or boy out very quickly so it’s advisable to have a party which only lasts an hour or two.

4. Cater food for all - It’s really important to cater for all ages when throwing a first birthday party, finger food is always a winner with simple buffet options and food that all ages will enjoy. Try to avoid things that are overly messy especially if there will be a lot of little ones in attendance.

5. Plan a beautifully themed birthday cake - The options for a birthday cake are endless, if you are creative and a dab hand in the kitchen then you could make your own, but if not there are plenty of amazing cake makers out there who can bring your ideas to life. Why not recreate the birthday cake from your cake smash session for a seamless theme across the board.

6. Create gorgeous invitations - Cake smash photo’s are a beautiful way of inviting your guests to come and celebrate with you and give your guests a stunning keepsake and memory of your child’s first birthday.

7. Keep children entertained - This is an obvious but important one! Make sure that you have some form of entertainment or way of keeping children occupied. You could set up a children’s party table with colouring, stickers and party bags. You could also create a soft play area for younger guests (or hire soft play), to keep them safe and having fun!

Cake Smash Sessions - Creating a beautiful memory to treasure

A cake smash is a unique way of creating bespoke fun and adorable images to celebrate your Baby’s birthday. You could use these pictures as invites, decorations or even display a photo reel on a video projector during your little one’s Birthday party. I shoot Cake Smash and splash sessions for either 1st or 2nd Birthdays. I can tailor the cake smash to fit with any theme and absolutely adore being able to create gorgeous special images which commemorate your little ones big milestone. You provide the cake and I’ll provide the rest. Let your baby go wild smashing up and of course eating the cake while I snap adorable images and create memories to treasure. Once they’ve had their fun with the cake its time for a clean up in the tub which I document as part of the session. The possibilities with a cake smash are endless, prior to the session I will work with you to ensure that all elements are themed to your tastes and requirements.
Cant wait to hear from you about your little one’s BIG ONE !

Love,
Alma