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After coming back from maternity leave, I was absolutely thrilled to kick off my sessions with something magical—baby Aarjana’s Enchanted Fairy First birthday session! Her mom, Angelina, reached out excited to document this milestone with a whimsical smash cake photoshoot, and the theme she envisioned had me instantly inspired: sage green, light pink, lavender tones, soft florals, and butterflies. It was pure fairy tale magic.
I’ve always adored fairies—when I was a child, I even collected fairy figurines—so this session lit a creative fire in me. Anyone who knows me knows I’m obsessed with purple, so the color palette alone was a dream. And with this being one of my first sessions post-baby, I couldn’t wait to dive back into building new set pieces and adding to my prop collection.
I found the perfect little ceramic mushrooms at JoAnn’s (which I painted myself! Here are some from Amazon too). I used Artists Loft Acrylic Paints, which includes some metallic colors that used for the base of the mushrooms. For the tops I used some glitter paints, and finished the top with mod podge. I also purchased some iridescent butterflies, and sweet spring florals from the Dollar Tree to top the florals, mushrooms and cake stand. I even crafted a custom cake stand using a slice of wood and candle holders. I cured the wood with polyurethane to make it easy to wash. It felt like I was creating an actual fairy garden right in the studio.
I was also really excited to build out my inventory for backdrops this year, buying a variety of birthday inspired backdrops for milestone sessions from Kate Backdrop.
To complete the look, I partnered with Made With Love Bakery for a beautiful 6-inch vanilla cake, which I topped with flowers for a few sweet shots. And of course, I had to bring out the fairy lights around my lens (using my lens animal - see how to video below) to add that extra touch of sparkle!
Meeting Angelina and her daughter Aarjana was truly such a joy. Angelina shared with me that they are Marshallese, and she told me something so special that I’ll never forget:
“The first birthday, known as kemem, holds significant cultural importance in Marshallese society. Historically, many infants faced considerable challenges, and a substantial number did not survive to celebrate their first birthday due to limited resources. Consequently, a child who reaches this milestone is often regarded as a lucky baby, symbolizing not only survival but also the resilience of life.”
It was incredibly moving to learn the deeper meaning behind this celebration. I felt truly honored that Angie chose me to capture this beautiful chapter in their story. She shared that in Marshallese culture, a child’s first birthday is celebrated in a big way—much like how many Hispanic and Latino families celebrate a Quinceañera at 15. These kemem parties are full of joy, friends, family, and community—marking not just a year of life, but a deep-rooted cultural tradition of resilience and gratitude.
“Whitney was beyond amazing! Her studio is comfortably cozy and cute, and has everything you need. She did my daughter’s first birthday shoot and the session was amazing, we had so much fun. She had so many cute spring props to offer. My baby got comfortable with her very quickly and she had so much fun. I suggest you book with her!” - Angelina S.
And sweet Aarjana? She was the calmest, happiest little fairy babe! She dove right into that cake like a pro, and her little fairy outfit was absolutely adorable. Her dad joked about her sugar rush but couldn’t help grinning the whole time. At one point he looked around the studio and said, “This is my secret spot—I’m not telling anyone about it!” I laughed and said, “Please do! Tell everyone!” 😄
This session reminded me why I do what I do—turning moments into magic, especially for milestones that hold so much heart and history.
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