Has a vacation ever inspired you in a way that sparked a creative idea?!

I recently traveled to beautiful Hawaii with my family and was immediately inspired by the stunning culture, breathtaking florals, and vibrant colors that the Islands have to offer. I knew right away I had to incorporate these elements into a fun, first birthday cake smash theme.

Well, since then I have done not only one but THREE completely unique Hawaiian First Birthday cake smash sessions, and am sharing them with you today!

Vivian: Hawaiian Surfer Girl Cake Smash

For Vivian’s cake smash, the theme was “Hawaiian Surfer Girl”, and we wanted to create a super colorful, floral setup. We decorated with a variety of pinks, oranges, greens, and blues. We accented the setup with lots of bold pink and yellow flowers, as well as real pineapples, decorative seashells, and a little greenery which created such a fun, boho feel.

Vivian's cake, done by Couture Cupcakery, featured bright blue icing in complementary colors inspired by the ocean waves. We brought it all together by topping the cake with the same pink flowers as we used among the balloon arrangement, which was done by WePoppin’ Ballons. This cake also had a decoratative starfish which pulled the Hawaiian Surfer Girl vibes all together!

Oh, and if you’re wondering about the ADORABLE little Vespa…

Little Vivian was gifted this amazing turquoise Vespa for her birthday just a few days prior to our photoshoot! Without even knowing how I had designed the studio for the session, Mom and Dad decided to bring it along - and it just so happened to fit in PERFECTLY with the backdrop and rest of our setup! How awesome is that?!

TEAGAN: Girly Hawaiian Cake Smash Theme

For Teagans Hawaiian cake smash, we wanted to create a super girly, lush setup.

We decorated the studio with a variety of shades of gold, and pink and white balloons. We accented the set up with beautiful tall bunches of rich green botanicals, vintage wooden crates, unique Hawaiian-inspired florals, and ofcourse added in some pineapples AND pineapple string lights.

The beautiful balloon backdrop was created by the always talented We Poppin’ Balloons, and the backdrop was created using Monstera Wall Paper from Target.

Created by Couture Cupcakery, Teagan’s birthday cake featured a white color with pastel frosted flowers decorated along the side. As you can see, the birthday girl absolutely loved it!

LOGAN: SURFS UP FIRST BIRTHDAY THEME

Logan’s first birthday cake smash was SO much fun to be a part of! We wanted to do a surf theme and I love the way this one turned out.

This simple yet stunning backdrop featured all-white balloons with mini gold string lights, and a fun surf-inspired backdrop with little blue wave designs.

For Logan’s cake, Sabrina from Couture Cupcakery created an incredible “surfs up” cake, featuring a little surfer dude, white skies, blue waves and even a sandy beach in an epic 3D creation that is unlike any cake I’ve personally seen before! Seriously, SO creative.

Logan’s little red swim shorts and his adorable curly blond hair really tied this theme all together and made it an unforgettable first birthday session for myself (and hopefully my clients, too!)