Fab Forty Cake Smash!

Chapter of Life with Cancer – making every day count

How it all began…  It’s summer of 2017 and Jo Mufale and her family are on a world wide bucket list trip from Australia and would be in Toronto to celebrate her 40th birthday.  After fighting off cancer and being cancer free for a number of years, Jo was recently diagnosed with terminal cancer.  Her friends and family in Australia secretly fundraised and contributed towards a bucket list fund and revealed the surprise to Jo and her family.  Jo and her husband and three sons are now on their world wide bucket list trip and savouring every moment together.  Jo shares details and photos of their adventures in a daily  journal that she posts to a private Facebook group of her friends, families, and supporters.  Her Toronto friend Janneke reached out to me with the idea to surprise Jo with a Fab Forty cake smash photo session and I was so excited to be a part of it!  I felt it would be fun to also include her husband and kids in the photos too as cake smashes are such a fun experience for all and makes for unique family photos and great memories.  Behind the scenes, Janneke contacted businesses around Midtown Toronto to make it all happen and together the community contributed and donated towards the surprise:

• The Little Party Shoppe – Balloons, tiara, confetti
• Carters – Gift certificate used for the outfits for the three boys
• Canadian Beauty School team led by Michelle Willis Makeup Artist/Director – hair and make-up for Jo
• Pictonat Photography – overall backdrop design and photography

The session started off with fun sibling photos of the three boys followed by family photos.  I like to work through a variety of poses to get the family warmed up and comfortable in front of the camera which results in a lot of genuine expressions and smiles.

The boys had a lot of fun posing together in front of the camera and when I asked if there were any other poses they wanted to end off with, they excitedly said…”yes, a pyramid!”

Jo shined like a princess in her gorgeous blue tutu:

Now time for the FAB FORTY CAKE SMASH.  The colour theme for the backdrop and decorations was pink, gold, and silver.   Jo was surprised with a PINK CAKE and a bottle of WINE.  Her boys were curiously watching from the sidelines and I could see them drooling and just wanting to dive into the cake.  Jo took the first taste of the cake in small tidy bites and then the boys rushed in to join.  Before you know it, it was like watching a fun family food fight with the cake being both indulged and smeared onto everyones face!  There was so much laughter and joy.

The ‘before’ and ‘after’ family photo:

Jo lovingly thanked her dear friend Janneke for arranging the surprise for her with a little ‘cake smash’ of her own!

During the shoot, the students from the Canadian Beauty School were on set to touch-up Jo’s hair and make-up:

Cheers to a Fabulous 40th Birthday Cake Smash!

This was such a fun experience and memorable for everyone.   I am so thankful to have met Jo and her family who are so inspirational.  Don’t count the days, make everyday count.