The First Candle · Chattanooga First Birthday Photography
One little birthday.
One wonderfully messy memory.
Celebrate one incredible year with a fully guided first-birthday portrait experience designed around your child—their personality, their favorite things, and just the right amount of joyful mess.
A Birthday Story Worth Remembering
Before the frosting,
we preserve who they are.
Their first birthday is more than a cake. It is the giggle, the curiosity, the new expressions, and the tiny person your baby has become. We begin with polished birthday portraits before letting the celebration get wonderfully messy.
The cake disappears. The photographs become part of your family’s history.
Choose Your Experience
A celebration designed
around your child.
Choose the experience that fits the story you want to preserve. Images, portrait collections, and finished artwork are selected separately after you see your completed photographs.
First Birthday Experience
- One thoughtfully styled cake-smash scene
- One outfit
- Baby-focused portraits before the smash
- A relaxed, playful first-birthday experience
Signature First Birthday Experience
- Three thoughtfully styled scenes
- Up to three outfits
- Classic portraits before the cake smash
- Time for baby and immediate-family portraits
From Idea to Artwork
Simple, playful,
fully guided.
Reserve
Choose your experience and secure a studio date around your child’s first birthday.
Plan
We coordinate colors, wardrobe, food, family participation, and scene details.
Celebrate
We create classic portraits first, then let your baby explore, taste, and make the mess.
Choose
See your finished photographs and select the collection and artwork you love.
Make It Extra Special
The details arrive
ready for the celebration.
Add the finishing touches without spending the morning running around Chattanooga with balloons rolling loose in the car. We have all lived that circus.
Custom Cake
$95Coordinated with your theme and waiting at the studio.
Balloon Bouquet
$75Styled balloons ready for your portrait scene.
Custom Onesie
$40Created with your theme and baby’s name.
Fresh Flowers
$95A refined floral touch added to the scene.
Custom Scene
$250Includes the cake, custom onesie, and balloons.
Classic, Themed & Wonderfully Messy
One birthday.
Every little expression.
Your gallery can move from timeless portraits to a personalized celebration without losing the one thing that matters most: your child’s real personality.
A Celebration Made Just for Them
Who says it
has to be cake?
Not every little one loves cake—and that is perfectly okay. We can build the celebration around barbecue, macaroni and cheese, chicken and fries, fresh fruit, or the familiar favorite that always makes your baby smile.
The best smash is the one that feels like your child.
What You Love Becomes What You Keep
A first birthday story
made to live beyond the screen.
After your session, we help you turn the photographs you love into a finished collection that can be held, displayed, and passed down.
Professional Portrait Prints
Beautifully finished photographs created for your family to hold.
Albums & Image Boxes
Preserve the complete birthday story in a tactile heirloom.
Wall Artwork
Create a statement piece for your home from the portrait you love most.
Helpful Details
Before the
birthday celebration.
Select a question to reveal the answer.
When should we schedule the session?
Reserve as early as possible so there is time to plan styling, food, and any custom details. The portrait experience can be scheduled shortly before or around your child’s first birthday.
Do we bring the cake?
You may bring your own food, or add a custom cake for $95 so it is coordinated with the theme and waiting at the studio when you arrive.
What if my baby does not like cake?
That is completely fine. Fruit, donuts, fries, barbecue, or another familiar favorite can create an experience that feels more natural to your child.
Can parents and siblings participate?
The Signature First Birthday Experience includes time for baby and immediate-family portraits. Tell us who you want included so we can plan the flow and wardrobe.
Is the reservation fee applied toward our collection?
Yes. One hundred percent of the reservation fee becomes credit toward the portrait collection you choose after viewing your finished photographs.
When do we choose our photographs and artwork?
After the images are finished, you will see them during a private viewing and ordering appointment. Portrait collections begin at $400, and we help you choose only what you genuinely love.
Start the Conversation
Tell us about
your birthday baby.
Share what you are imagining and what your child loves. We will review your answers and personally follow up to help you plan the right experience.
info@mattandsheaphotography.comThe First Year Will Never Happen Again
Let’s preserve it
beautifully.
Thoughtful planning, a relaxed celebration, and artwork created to outlive the moment.
Reserve Your Smash Cake Experience →