Taking “professional” photos of your baby on their 1st Birthday has actually become a thing and you can browse Pinterest for hours to prove it! So of course I hopped on the same mommy train and began browsing and pinning! In the end I realized that staging this “1st birthday photo” was something that could easily be done at home (no studio fees needed)! So I wanted to share Dane’s photos as inspiration, because taking these photos on your own is totally do-able with the right props (and a patient photographer!)! Here’s what I bought to take mine….

What I bought: a wooden crate, wood letters spelling “ONE”, balloons for my backdrop. Also a few decorative items like this “Little Prince” Piggy Bank and this handmade cake topper to place on a simple cake. For the best lighting, head outside and choose a spot that’s not too sunny. Frame the shot so the balloons fill the backdrop. I recommend using weights to hold clusters of balloons in place so there aren’t big gaps in between. The end is all about cropping the shot so you don’t see too much background behind the balloons.

In the end you capture such a precious moment … and ironically they don’t need to be perfect… I think I actually like the silly ones best! I am so happy to have these photos!!

Now heading on to the sweets. I shared the decorations I bought for Dane’s first birthday celebration with our family in this post, but I also wanted to share a closer look at the little dessert display I created as well. As I mentioned in my last post, throwing him a bday party was really a last minute decision so I bought a super simple cake and cookies and relied on cute cake toppers to dress them up. These metallic “Happy Birthday” candles were a prime purchase on amazon and are too fun, while the handmade cake topper is so sweet. Using things from his nursery to decorate the dessert table was key… little blue books, his piggy bank, and his age blocks, which have been my favorite for styling photos since Dane was born. Of course little pictures of him are the cutest touch. Just goes to show that last minute can still be picture perfect. Shop all of my decorations from the birthday celebration below!

Shop the post:

Photography by Yesi of Simply Lively