If you’ve been hanging around All Things Spliced of late, you may just have noticed that it has recently been a certain little baby’s first birthday. As part of Baby Lighty’s birthday celebrations, Mrs Lighty really wanted to have some professional photos taken to commemorate the occasion and to capture Baby Lighty as exactly that before he gets too big: my baby.
When Mrs Lighty was pregnant, I had asked Mr Lighty if we could get some professional photos taken once the baby arrived. “No need to pay out for some professional ones,” he said, “I’ll take them!”. Well, this seemed like a good plan, Mr Lighty does, after all, have a foundation degree in photography, and we were a little strapped for cash on my SMP. But then Baby Lighty arrived, and, quite frankly, we didn’t know our arse bum from our elbow, let alone have the time or inclination to stage and take newborn photos!
So when I suggested the idea of a cake smash to celebrate Baby Lighty’s first birthday and hopefully get some lovely professional pictures, as Mr Lighty started to say “I’ll take them…!”, he was cut right off: no,this time, we were going to have them done properly to ensure that they did actually get done!
I did some research and was given the recommendation of the wonderful Day and Knight Photography. After some emails back and forth, their outdoor shoots really appealed to me as something a little different from the normal studio shoots, so we booked and Mrs Lighty set about finding an outfit for the birthday boy.
I’d love to say that the bright blue shorts, braces and bow tie combo was all my own idea, but I had actually researched cake smash outfits and asked to look at friends’ shoots and the brightness of the blue appealed to me, especially as I knew that I could team it well with the rainbow bunting that Day and Knight supplied, and a bright celebration cake. We were also in the midst of planning Baby Lighty’s Up! themed first birthday party, so I hoped that the bright colours would work well alongside the bright balloons and bunting at the party if we had some of the photos on display on the day.
Day and Knight are located in Burnham on Crouch, a quaint little town on the Blackwater Estuary, so we decided to make a bit of a day of it, with lunch on the waterfront afterwards. Luckily the weather was kind to us on this occasion and we were able to have the outdoor shoot that we’d hoped for in a pretty meadow around the corner from the couple’s home studio. I was really pleased to get some ‘smart’ photos of Baby Lighty before things were (supposed) to get messy, and I was really happy with the bright blue of the outfit I’d chosen; I know I’m biased, but I felt that it really brought out the beautiful blue of Baby Lighty’s eyes!
I say above that things were supposed to get messy, because once Baby Lighty was let loose with the cake, he wasn’t at all interested! Even once we’d given him a piece to try! At one point I had serious doubts that this could be Mrs Lighty’s child: I mean, my child, not liking cake?! What’s up with that?!
Despite this, we had a lot of fun trying to get him to go to town on the cake, and we did manage to get one photo of him trying some cake and some cute ones with a spoon, but as I said on the day, I wasn’t overly fussed about messy ones, as long as we got some lovely professional photos of him. And I’ll let the photos speak for themselves to show you just how lovely they are…
Thank you so much, Day and Knight, for the beautiful images, we absolutely love them and we’re so pleased to have captured our gorgeous Baby Lighty on film in this way as he turns one!
For more information on Day and Knight’s photoshoots, click here: I was not paid for this post, and Mr and Mrs Lighty paid in full for the photoshoot; I am just sharing our experience of what was a really fun day.
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Aw just too gorgeous! I love his little suit! Must admit that I hadn’t heard of a cake smash before. It’s my birthday on Saturday. I want one. For me. No children allowed. I’ll have their cake though 😉 Beautiful pictures lovely – you must be thrilled with them xx
Oh go on, have a cake smash! Or just eat loads of cake and wash it down with prosecco?!! Happy birthday lovely, hope you have a fabulous cake-filled day! xxx
PS, enjoy the #FartGlitter holiday too!
Thank you lovely ???
Just had to pop by for another little peek at your cute little man! Just scrumptious! Thanks for linking up with us lovely #fartglitter x
Gorgeous piccies and the best idea ever!! Bring on baby J’s first birthday so he can smash up some cake!!
Yes and hopefully he’ll play ball and actually smash it up, rather than just sitting looking at it, ha!! 🙂
Ahhhh I love smash cakes! Ours did not go to plan at all and little miss just cried the whole time. Every pix was deleted because a frazzled mammy was in the background! His little outfit is just tooooo cute #DreamTeam
Thank you! Oh no, I hope you managed some photos? Did you do yours yourself or have it professionally done? #DreamTeam
Tried it ourselves… Fail! It’s a shame cos you only get one chance at the smash cake really 🙁 I’ll just have to have another baby haha
Ha! Now there’s an option!! Mr Lighty did start making sounds about doing ours ourselves, but I just don’t think we would have had the patience to do it justice! xxx
Trust me you were right to go with a photographer 🙂 the pics are awesome. Little cutie
Thank you 🙂 xxx
Those photos are absolutely beautiful. I love his little outfit! Please tell me you ate the cake afterwards though. I’m always put off the idea of cake smashes myself by the thought of wasted cake! #coolmumclub
Well I couldn’t eat the cake as I’m Gluten Free but the photographers and their daughter had some as did Mr Lighty!! #coolmumclub
omg cuteness overload! these pictures are adorable! Lovely idea, and brilliant outfit choice 😉 #coolmumclub
Thank you!! I know I’m biased but I agree with you! 😉 #coolmumclub
These photos are so beautiful! I love his cute outfit (major boy clothes envy). I think regardless of the failure to get totally cake-smashing you got yourself some lovely piccies to keep.
Thanks for linking up to #coolmumclub
Thanks for having me as always on #coolmumclub! I know I’m so pleased with the photos, as I said to the photographers on the day, I wasn’t overly worried that he didn’t get stuck in as long as we got some nice photos! 🙂
Super photos – really wish i had some to remember mine at that age. My stepson is a prof photographer but he works abroad alot and couldn’t do them at that time so we have some excellent pics of baby a few months old with cradle cap ! Your boy certainly has tons of character, what a sweetie 🙂 Jo #fortheloveofblog
Ah thank you! Yes he is a little character 🙂 Ah that’s a shame that you didn’t manage to capture that many, especially with a photographer in the family! #fortheloveofBLOG
The suit is amazing! I just love a dickie bow! You are right about the blue, definitely brings out Baby Lighty’s eyes. Really great pictures, I might research for some cake smashing photos for my Little Lord as well 🙂 #fortheloveofBLOG
It was so much fun too! Highly recommended it! And thank you! #fortheloveofBLOG
I love the cake smash idea, and I bet it’s fun for them once they get into the swing of things! Your photographs are so cute, he is just adorable!
#FartGlitter
Thank you! Mr Lighty and I certainly enjoyed it, so I hope Baby Lighty did too! #fartglitter
Wow! Those photos are so gorgeous! I bet you were thrilled. Who doesn’t love a good cake smash. Did he try to eat it by the handful? I know I would have done. Thank you for linking this super cake post to the #DreamTeam xx
He didn’t seem interested in eating it at all!! And thank you, yes we are thrilled with them. Thanks for hosting #DreamTeam 🙂
Really, not even after the photo shoot! He’s sweet enough already I dare say xx
This was the first year, (5) that we didn’t have a seperate cake just for smashing. I can’t say that I missed it #mg
Oh really? I have to admit I don’t think we’ll do it again. The first year was lovely, but enough. Thanks for taking the time to read my post 🙂 #mg
These pictures are so cute, he looks gorgeous sat on the grass in his blue shorts. The colours are amazing! Ah it’s a shame he didn’t go crazy for the cake but he looks like he’s enjoying it. That means there’s more cake left for you! I hope it was yummy. Thanks so much for linking up this week at #fortheloveofBLOG. Claire x
Well I am gluten free so couldn’t try it but the photographers and their daughter and Mr Lighty enjoyed it! I really wasn’t fussed about messy photos, I just wanted some lovely professional shots of him and I think that’s been achieved 🙂 #fortheloveofBLOG
You really achieved some amazing photos! They’re totally gorgeous!! Funny things with kids often don’t go as planned do they, but still to achieve these images were amazing! He is so adorable!!!!! #mg Thanks for linking up
Thank you! We think they’re fab! Thanks for having me on #mg xxx