Do you celebrate your dog’s birthday? 80% of dog moms do! Ok… I made that number up, but it sounds believable to me. We’re usually invited to at least one dog birthday party per month these days. They’re often held at dog friendly local breweries. But what if your dog is super sophisticated and is better suited to a chic afternoon tea in a walled garden? That’s exactly what I planned with my friend and pet photographer, Jenny Karlsson a few years ago. Since then I’ve actually had Jenny as a guest on my podcast, listen to her episode here.

Creating A Styled Dog Birthday Photoshoot

I was looking for these photos and realized they never got posted to my blog! They’re up on Jenny’s site and were even featured on Pretty Fluffy, but somehow I never did a post. They’re just so gorgeous that I figured it’s better late than never. Plus, you get to see my old girl Lola. We miss her so much!

At the time that we did this shoot it seemed like everyone in the wedding industry was doing styled shoots like this where they’d set up a fake wedding just for the photos. That was kind of our inspiration. I styled the set with table settings, props, place cards, flowers and more to give it the finished look of a real party for people. The only difference is that the guests were short and furry. That and the cake was peanut butter flavored!

Gathering Props for A Dog Photoshoot

For this photoshoot, it was all about the props! They gave us the effect of a full-fledged fancy afternoon tea and birthday cake party. I sourced feminine and glitzy accents to place on the table (which is actually a kids table from Ikea!). This shoot was a couple years ago, but I found some similar items and I’m linking them up below.

White Ceramic Dog Bowl
Bird Print Table Runner
Pink Rubber Kong Bone
Bandanas (to double as napkins!)
Gem Frames for Placecards
Faux Floral Centerpiece  
Pink Happy Birthday Tennis Balls
Treat Jar
Cake Stand

Thank you again to Jenny Karlsson for taking these photos! I have treasured them for so many years.

Want to learn more about pet photography? Check out these episodes of the Wear Wag Repeat Podcast:
Episode 1: Milla Chappell of Real Happy Dogs
Episode 14: Natalie Williams of Grey Dog Photo Studio
Episode 39: Nicole Begley of Nicole Begley Photography