11 Years, One Cake at a Time: Couple’s Photo Series Becomes a Heartwarming Family Album

11 Years, One Cake at a Time: Couple’s Photo Series Becomes a Heartwarming Family Album

Couple Recreates Annual Cake-Eating Photo as Their Family Grows. 11 Years in, the Pictures Tell a Whole New Story (Exclusive)
Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew are parents to four kids

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner with family
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner with family
Before Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew, got married, Ashley watched the movie The Five-Year Engagement

Ashley fell in love with the idea of documenting their relationship journey through photos and suggested they recreate a photo similar to the movie’s cover at the end of their wedding day

But Matthew had an even better thought. He suggested that the couple recreate a photo of themselves eating cake every year on their anniversary, incorporating their growing family over time

Now, 11 years and four children later, Ashley and Matthew, both 40, haven’t looked back

Before Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew, got married, Ashley watched the movie The Five-Year Engagement. She fell in love with the idea of documenting their relationship journey through photos and suggested that she and Matthew recreate a photo similar to the movie’s cover at the end of their wedding day.

While Matthew loved the idea, he had an even better thought: He suggested that the couple, who live in Ohio, recreate a photo of themselves eating cake every year on their anniversary, incorporating their growing family over time on’t Miss
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People
Couple Recreates Annual Cake-Eating Photo as Their Family Grows. 11 Years in, the Pictures Tell a Whole New Story (Exclusive)
Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew are parents to four kids

Ashley and Matthew Gardner with family
Before Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew, got married, Ashley watched the movie The Five-Year Engagement

Ashley fell in love with the idea of documenting their relationship journey through photos and suggested they recreate a photo similar to the movie’s cover at the end of their wedding day

But Matthew had an even better thought. He suggested that the couple recreate a photo of themselves eating cake every year on their anniversary, incorporating their growing family over time

Now, 11 years and four children later, Ashley and Matthew, both 40, haven’t looked back

Before Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew, got married, Ashley watched the movie The Five-Year Engagement. She fell in love with the idea of documenting their relationship journey through photos and suggested that she and Matthew recreate a photo similar to the movie’s cover at the end of their wedding day.

While Matthew loved the idea, he had an even better thought: He suggested that the couple, who live in Ohio, recreate a photo of themselves eating cake every year on their anniversary, incorporating their growing family over time.

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Now, 11 years and four children later, Ashley and Matthew, both 40, haven’t looked back.

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
Related: Bride Surprises Grandparents by Featuring Childhood Lemonade Stand They Built for Her at Her Wedding (Exclusive)

“There have been years when getting babies and toddlers to cooperate was very challenging,” Ashley tells PEOPLE exclusively. “We just agreed that the chaos added to the authenticity of the photo.”

“We love going through all the photos every year! My kids know which year each child was in mom’s belly and when they were born,” she adds of her kids, who are ages 8, 7, 4 and 2. “It’s been a fun way to document our lives.”A few years ago, Ashley, a professional photographer, noticed that when she and Matthew, a forensic engineer, shared their photos on Facebook and Instagram, their friends and family were enthusiastic, especially about the cake photos. People would message her, saying they couldn’t wait to see the next year’s photo and asking if there would be any big “reveal” in it.But while the couple had always shared the photos on their personal social media accounts, this year was the first time Ashley decided to post it on TikTok. She created a montage of all the photos the family has taken over the years and shared it.on’t Miss
NBA rookie offseason plans
Aimee Lou Wood’s overbite
Dad lost 80 lbs. on Zepbound
Food packaging promises
UTIs resistant to antibiotics
Swap salt for garlic
People
Couple Recreates Annual Cake-Eating Photo as Their Family Grows. 11 Years in, the Pictures Tell a Whole New Story (Exclusive)
Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew are parents to four kids
Jordan Greene
Mon, April 14, 2025 at 9:30 AM GMT+1
4 min read

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner with family
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner with family
Before Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew, got married, Ashley watched the movie The Five-Year Engagement

Ashley fell in love with the idea of documenting their relationship journey through photos and suggested they recreate a photo similar to the movie’s cover at the end of their wedding day

But Matthew had an even better thought. He suggested that the couple recreate a photo of themselves eating cake every year on their anniversary, incorporating their growing family over time

Now, 11 years and four children later, Ashley and Matthew, both 40, haven’t looked back

Before Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew, got married, Ashley watched the movie The Five-Year Engagement. She fell in love with the idea of documenting their relationship journey through photos and suggested that she and Matthew recreate a photo similar to the movie’s cover at the end of their wedding day.

While Matthew loved the idea, he had an even better thought: He suggested that the couple, who live in Ohio, recreate a photo of themselves eating cake every year on their anniversary, incorporating their growing family over time.

Advertisement

Now, 11 years and four children later, Ashley and Matthew, both 40, haven’t looked back.

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
Related: Bride Surprises Grandparents by Featuring Childhood Lemonade Stand They Built for Her at Her Wedding (Exclusive)

“There have been years when getting babies and toddlers to cooperate was very challenging,” Ashley tells PEOPLE exclusively. “We just agreed that the chaos added to the authenticity of the photo.”

“We love going through all the photos every year! My kids know which year each child was in mom’s belly and when they were born,” she adds of her kids, who are ages 8, 7, 4 and 2. “It’s been a fun way to document our lives.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
A few years ago, Ashley, a professional photographer, noticed that when she and Matthew, a forensic engineer, shared their photos on Facebook and Instagram, their friends and family were enthusiastic, especially about the cake photos. People would message her, saying they couldn’t wait to see the next year’s photo and asking if there would be any big “reveal” in it.

Advertisement

But while the couple had always shared the photos on their personal social media accounts, this year was the first time Ashley decided to post it on TikTok. She created a montage of all the photos the family has taken over the years and shared it.

Ashley and Matthew Gardner take photo eating cake
More
Related: Before She Took Her Sister’s Engagement Photos, She Practiced on Her Parents. The Results Are the Sweetest (Exclusiv

“It was so fun watching everyone respond to the photos and seeing all the attention they were getting,” the mom says.

“The comments have been so fun and hilarious to read,” she adds. “Everyone has been so kind and funny. There was a slight confusion about the order of the images and some worry we lost pets, but aside from that, everyone has been so kind. My favorite comments are the ones where people can see the happiness and craziness of growing a family in the images.”Don’t Miss
NBA rookie offseason plans
Aimee Lou Wood’s overbite
Dad lost 80 lbs. on Zepbound
Food packaging promises
UTIs resistant to antibiotics
Swap salt for garlic
People
Couple Recreates Annual Cake-Eating Photo as Their Family Grows. 11 Years in, the Pictures Tell a Whole New Story (Exclusive)
Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew are parents to four kids
Jordan Greene
Mon, April 14, 2025 at 9:30 AM GMT+1
4 min read

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner with family
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner with family
Before Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew, got married, Ashley watched the movie The Five-Year Engagement

Ashley fell in love with the idea of documenting their relationship journey through photos and suggested they recreate a photo similar to the movie’s cover at the end of their wedding day

But Matthew had an even better thought. He suggested that the couple recreate a photo of themselves eating cake every year on their anniversary, incorporating their growing family over time

Now, 11 years and four children later, Ashley and Matthew, both 40, haven’t looked back

Before Ashley Gardner and her husband, Matthew, got married, Ashley watched the movie The Five-Year Engagement. She fell in love with the idea of documenting their relationship journey through photos and suggested that she and Matthew recreate a photo similar to the movie’s cover at the end of their wedding day.

While Matthew loved the idea, he had an even better thought: He suggested that the couple, who live in Ohio, recreate a photo of themselves eating cake every year on their anniversary, incorporating their growing family over time.

Advertisement

Now, 11 years and four children later, Ashley and Matthew, both 40, haven’t looked back.

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
Related: Bride Surprises Grandparents by Featuring Childhood Lemonade Stand They Built for Her at Her Wedding (Exclusive)

“There have been years when getting babies and toddlers to cooperate was very challenging,” Ashley tells PEOPLE exclusively. “We just agreed that the chaos added to the authenticity of the photo.”

“We love going through all the photos every year! My kids know which year each child was in mom’s belly and when they were born,” she adds of her kids, who are ages 8, 7, 4 and 2. “It’s been a fun way to document our lives.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner eating cake
A few years ago, Ashley, a professional photographer, noticed that when she and Matthew, a forensic engineer, shared their photos on Facebook and Instagram, their friends and family were enthusiastic, especially about the cake photos. People would message her, saying they couldn’t wait to see the next year’s photo and asking if there would be any big “reveal” in it.

Advertisement

But while the couple had always shared the photos on their personal social media accounts, this year was the first time Ashley decided to post it on TikTok. She created a montage of all the photos the family has taken over the years and shared it.

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner take photo eating cake
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner take photo eating cake
More
Related: Before She Took Her Sister’s Engagement Photos, She Practiced on Her Parents. The Results Are the Sweetest (Exclusive)

“It was so fun watching everyone respond to the photos and seeing all the attention they were getting,” the mom says.

“The comments have been so fun and hilarious to read,” she adds. “Everyone has been so kind and funny. There was a slight confusion about the order of the images and some worry we lost pets, but aside from that, everyone has been so kind. My favorite comments are the ones where people can see the happiness and craziness of growing a family in the images.”

Ashley Gardner Ashley and Matthew Gardner with family
Ashley Gardner

Ashley and Matthew Gardner with family
Ashley adds how she doesn’t have a favorite photo; each year tells its own story. However, the photo her family captured in 2021 is one she’ll definitely remember.

“My husband is wearing a hospital band, and I was due with my son,” she says. “My husband ended up in the hospital on Monday, and I had my son on Friday. We took the photo in between our two hospital visits! And our COVID photo always gets a laugh!”We plan to take this photo for as long as we can,” she continues. “Our older kids now get involved, and it’s something we all look forward to as a family. Plus, there’s cake!”