Alexander’s Dohl Photoshoot - a Korean First Birthday Tradition

Earlier this month, we did something really meaningful to celebrate Alex’s first birthday—a dohl photoshoot to honor his Korean heritage. In Korean culture, a baby’s first birthday (dohl) is a major milestone, traditionally celebrated with symbolic foods, a big gathering, and a doljabi ceremony where the baby chooses an item that’s believed to predict their future. It’s a beautiful tradition that symbolizes health, longevity, and hope for what’s ahead.

I had a dohl when I turned one, and even though I don’t remember it, knowing that my family made that effort to celebrate our culture has always stuck with me. As a half Korean mama, it felt important to carry that forward for Alex.

While we didn’t host a full dohl party, we still wanted to mark the occasion in a meaningful way. We dressed in hanbok and captured some beautiful family photos—something we’ll treasure forever and one day share with him, along with the stories behind it. For his doljabi, Alex picked the whisk (hello future chef!), medallion (a symbol for government official), and stethoscope (ok, fellow healthcare professional 😂)

Alongside the dohl-inspired portraits, we also did a series of classic family and baby photos. It was such a sweet experience to reflect on just how far we’ve come in the past year.

As for his actual birthday celebration, we went with a fun “Wild One” theme with friends and family —more on that here.

Blending tradition with our own modern take on celebrations felt just right. It’s moments like these that remind me how meaningful it is to honor our roots while creating new memories together. 💛

PC: The Vivi Studio - thank you for being so incredible, so fun to work with, and capturing these incredible moments in time 🙏🏻