Why I Don’t Recommend Family Portraits During Cake Smash Sessions

I absolutely love capturing joyful milestones—especially the messy, delightful chaos of a cake smash photography session! These sessions are designed especially for your baby, but sometimes parents ask me:

“Can we include a few family portraits during the cake smash shoot?”

While I’m always happy to adapt sessions to client needs, I typically don’t recommend mixing family portraits with a cake smash. Here’s why, and what I suggest instead for the best experience and the most beautiful images.

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1. Cake Smash Photography Is Messy Fun

Cake smash sessions are adorable—but they’re also very messy! Once the cake comes out, things move quickly and frosting ends up everywhere. To help guide your little one, I’ll often ask for your help, which means you’ll likely end up on the floor too.

That’s why I recommend parents wear something comfortable like leggings and an old t-shirt. Definitely not what you’d want to wear for polished family portraits.

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2. Family Portraits Deserve Their Own Focus

A beautiful family photoshoot requires time, planning, and posing. Trying to fit this into a cake smash session shifts the attention away from your baby (the star of the day!) and usually results in rushed images.

For timeless family portraits, I recommend booking a separate family photography session, where we can dedicate time to capturing everyone at their best—without the frosting distractions.

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3. Babies Have Limited Patience

A typical first birthday photoshoot includes three fun parts:

• A simple portrait setup
• The cake smash itself
• A splash bath at the end

This is already quite a lot for most babies. Adding family portraits first can lead to overstimulation or tiredness before the main event. From my experience as a baby photographer in Milton Keynes, I know babies perform best when the focus stays on them.

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4. Cake Smash Setups Are Designed for One Star

All decorations are carefully prepared before you arrive, set at baby’s height for the best photos. While perfect for your little one, these setups don’t frame nicely for larger groups, which makes them less suitable for family photography.

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5. You Can Add Family Portraits (Optional)

If you’d still like to include a family photo during your baby's cake smash photoshoot, that’s no problem. Just be aware that these will be charged separately, as they require extra time and editing.

• Mini Package: 5 cake smash images → family portraits at £25 per image
• Standard Package: 10 cake smash images → family portraits at £25 per image
• Exclusive Package: 20 cake smash images → family portraits at £15 per image

This ensures fairness for all clients while keeping the session focused.

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My Best Advice

If you’re hoping for gorgeous family portraits in Milton Keynes, I recommend booking a separate session. That way, we can create timeless family images and still give your baby the full, fun cake smash experience they deserve for their first birthday.

📍 Based in Milton Keynes, I specialise in newborn, baby, maternity, and family photography. Whether you’re planning your baby’s first birthday photoshoot or a relaxed family session, I’d love to help you capture memories you’ll treasure forever.

👉 Contact me today to book your session!

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