Almost two years ago, when I was still just starting out, my friend Gennina asked me to do a cake smash session for her. Her younger son was almost one, (and we would soon be planning a session for him as well), but what she wanted was a session to celebrate HER birthday: the big three zero. (30).
An adult cake smash? I had never heard of this before. I tried google and pinterest to find some inspiration, but all I found was one cell phone quality image of a lady in the grass chugging champagne, and a couple super awkward studio images of middle-aged women sitting alone eating cake, and for some reason, cake was on their face. For babies, a cake mess makes sense, but those images to me, did not. I didn't get it, and I wasn't quite sure yet how we'd make THIS session work.
But, we did it. And we had a blast. I went to Gennina's house, we blew up balloons, decorated her spare guest room with streamers, mardi gras beads, banners.. She dressed up in a cute dress and birthday crown to top it off. When it was time for cake, we did a few silly photos of her alone, but then her two boys joined in for the fun. Here are a couple images from that session two years ago..
I posted a preview on my facebook page, and right away my cousin, Kristine, texted me to tell me how much she loved the idea, and to pencil her in for her 40th birthday in 2016.
And that is what brings us to today, October 20th, 2016: Kristine's 40th birthday. NOW when you search "adult cake smash," you'll actually find a lot. It's becoming quite the trend these days. While there are a rare few that I do like, many of these sessions still seem a little odd to me. They are often either really awkward and cheesy, or borderline narcissistic (in my opinion).
But for Kristine's session, the most important thing for her was that we include her girls. And I think this makes all the difference. Because it's real. And I'm a fan of real. Now instead of just an adult dressed like a baby in a tutu smashing cake into their own face, we have a party, an actual celebration. A celebration not just of the number 40, but of who she is at 40: a mother. We turned on the music, brought out the cake and the confetti and everyone had a genuinely good time. The fun in these photos is real. It shines through, and that is why I love them so much.
And by the way, this is not to say that adult cake smashes without children cannot be tastefully done; they absolutely can! I've seen it. But including them, for me, just makes them all the more joyful. I am a children's photographer, after all. Here's a small handful from her session. Hope you're having a very happy birthday, Kristine!
That's all for today :-)
