Simple Sophistication
Newport Beach, CA & Gilbert, AZ • Sessions by appointment only
Southern California & Arizona
Orange County ● PHOENIX
Baby’s first year is a blur of excitement and milestones. Now that you’ve reached the end of it, it’s time to party! A cake smash portrait session is the perfect celebration to capture all the joy of the last twelve months, to send out to family and friends or on a birthday announcement, and images you’ll cherish forever.
The point of the cake smash session is just that—the SMASH! The messier, the better! We start with the non-cake smash outfit and do a nice one-year-old portrait. Then we will have an outfit change and dig into the cake smash portion of the session.
We’ll talk with you ahead of time and decide on the theme (you can do a color scheme, a sports or hobby theme, favorite toy, book, simple, etc.) you’d like for your photos. Some sets take longer to prepare (depending on if it is custom) so please book 4-6 weeks prior.
We work with our local bakery to create the perfect (and perfectly yummy!) cake. The naked design is included in our session fee, but you are welcome to upgrade to a custom cake.
Our studio is full of a huge assortment of backdrops and props and is usually the best place to photograph a cake smash. We have sets you can choose from that we have already designed or you can have us come up with a custom set to match your one-year-old’s birthday theme.
Browse our wide variety of cake smash studio sets ready for your Southern California or Arizona cake smash session.
If you'd like a custom set design it is a additional upgrade.
Cake Smashes are the best way to celebrate your baby's first year. Simply pick your set design and reserve your date, Gilmore Studios will take care of the rest.
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*Add additional milestone sessions for $ during the 1st year. Digital files & photo products sold separately.
Photography products, digital files, and wall collections are purchased separately from your session fee. Please see our product guide for photo product collections & pricing.
We suggest scheduling 4-6 weeks in advance so we will have time to gather the props for your theme, the backdrop, and get the custom cake ordered.
No, we work with a local bakery for your session. Each cake included is naked. You are welcome to upgrade to a custom cake for the baker's additional fee. We will even box it up for you to take home afterward if it doesn’t get completely smashed. If your child has allergies - please bring your own cake.
We recommend bringing two outfits for the cake smash that coordinate with your chosen backdrop and theme, plus something clean for the baby to wear home. We can supplement with our huge assortment of hats, headbands, and tutus if needed. We also recommend an outfit change for the parent. Sometimes you can get messy with little hands on you.
All cake smash sessions are done in our studio, typically in the early morning or lunchtime.
Your images will be available online 7-10 business days after your session. You will be able to download the digital images you purchased as well as order prints, albums, canvases and more. If you would like to do an online ordering session with Gilmore Studios, that works great too.
Don’t worry! This is very common at this age. We have a few tricks for these kids and we will still get plenty of great shots, even if they refuse to touch the cake. We do recommend practicing at home incase that is the situation.
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A quick sneak peek from just a few minutes of their day. They are the perfect match and I’m so excited for their future together. 💕💕💕
Planning/Florals : @ruffleeffect
Venue/Caterer : @hyattnewportbeach.events
Photo : @gilmorestudios
DJ/Photo Booth : @djguiseppe
MUAH : @refinedbeautyinc
Live Music : @oceansidequartet
Cake : @couturecakery
Rentals : @loungepartyrentals
Tomorrow they say I do! I’m so excited for them 💕
Six looks so good on her 🎈
We kept this session simple and sweet with a soft pink backdrop and balloons to match her fun personality. Then we brought the whole family in on the white backdrop, even their adorable pup.
I love sessions like this because they show how much personality shines through when the focus stays on your child and the people they love most.
#BirthdayPhotography #GilmoreStudios #NewportBeachPhotographer #FamilyPhotographyOC #MilestoneSession #OCPhotographer #StudioPortraits #ChildPhotography #BirthdayPhotoshoot
Every one year old is different. Some dive right in, some take their time, and some are not quite sure what to think at first. That is what makes these sessions so fun. You never know what you are going to get.
I love seeing their personalities shine through, especially when parents join in for a few photos at the beginning. It is such a sweet way to celebrate the first year and capture all the joy that comes with it.
#CakeSmashPhotography #FirstBirthdaySession #GilmoreStudios #NewportBeachPhotographer #OCBabyPhotographer #MilestoneSession #OneYearOldPhotos #BirthdayPhotography #FamilyPhotographyOC
I loved seeing this sweet couple again and their little dog. This year we did the session at the San Juan Capistrano Mission.
It is such a good reminder to make photos part of your yearly routine. Life changes quickly, and having a collection of portraits over the years tells your story in the best way.
#FamilyPhotography #GilmoreStudios #SanJuanCapistranoMission #OCPhotographer #NewportBeachPhotographer #HolidayPhotos #CouplePhotography #PetPhotography #AnnualFamilyPhotos
#missionsjc
Newport Beach, CA & Gilbert, AZ
Session by appointment only
