Ohhhh, I miss those warm summer beach days already!! Every summer I spend more than a few weeks on Cape Cod. Nearly every evening is spent with families at the beach, laughing & collecting seashells, running & jumping the waves while capturing portraits the entire time.

One of my favorite evenings last summer was the night I met this sweet family in Harwich for Niamh’s first birthday cake smash at the beach.

Pleasant Road Beach was the perfect spot for a cake smash with the little wooden boardwalk stretching across the sand, the waves crashing on the shore just ahead of us. We brought a few sand dollars and starfish for the decor, but kept it simple to keep the focus on the birthday girl.

Niamh LOVED her cake! I always love it when babies dig right in and take a bite out of their cake by leaning into it.

Her big sisters were eager to join in, and they waited patiently for their turn. Then everybody dug into the cake together!

Of course we also did family portraits on the beach, and I love how perfectly golden the light was that evening with the most beautiful sunset. Aren’t their sundresses beautiful and just right for summer portraits?

Love this beach cake smash? Pin this image or any from the post above!