Ona SLR Bags

Photography and Fashion.

Recently my husband and I have jumped into the world of "fancy" cameras by upgrading to a Cannon DSLR. To protect this expensive investment, we ran out immediately and bought a camera bag. But I wish that I hadn't been so quick to do so, because I just ran across Ona Camera bags. *Sigh*



Isn't this just gorgeous? Love love love. And this bag isn't just about beauty, check out the inside of it and how organized your camera supplies could be:



Again...sigh. And the man in your life don't need to be left out either. They have really stylish options for him as well.




So now I have a new deal with the hubby. He and I will work very hard to become really good at using our "fancy pants" camera, and then we will reward our hard work with a "fancy pants" camera bag :)

Come Together Studios

Photographer and an HH Destination Wedding.

We've mentioned a couple of times that Brandi and I were in Puerto Rico this past April to coordinate a fantastic wedding (if we may say so ourselves). Working a destination wedding brings a very unique set of challenges, one of which is finding a photographer that you trust to capture your most important day. Often times the best choice is to bring someone with you, rather than working with a local that you may never have a chance to meet before.

When our happy couple chose Come Together Studios, we were very happy with their portfolio. And as we worked with them during the wedding weekend we were happy with their work ethic and courteousness (no blocking the Mother of the Groom for "the perfect shot"). And now that we've seen the results of their efforts, we continue to have love for Come Together Studios.

So we thought we'd share some of the detail shots that they took during the Puerto Rico Wedding weekend. Getting those great detail shots is so important...I mean you didn't spend hours working on those programs and favors just to have them forgotten, did you?

Enjoy!






PS. Congrats again to Mindy & Seamus! We hope that you look back on these pictures with much happiness as you remember your wedding weekend.

xoxo, A & B

Cure for a dull day.

Photography and Music.
Well I woke up in a seriously blah mood. Thankfully I was able to find the perfect cure...The Flashdance. This collaborative of The Human Jukebox, Our Labor of Love, and Max Wanger is so freakin' talented that I dare you not to be impressed.

So I spent my morning listening to THJ's Songs for April and browsing some eye candy from Max Wanger's portfolio. And I find myself inspired and out of my funk. I give it a try if you need a little pep in your day as well.

Amy Tripple Photography

Photography and Babies.

For those of you that follow Hip Hostess regularly, you've heard me talk about the baby boom in the lives of my friends and family...and how it causes me great confusion because of my lack of knowledge about bambinos and bambinas. But with the recent arrival of my beautiful new niece, I have found another aspect of babydom that I can understand and appreciate...photography and portraits!

When my brother-in-law and his wife showed us the photos prints that they had received of their newborn, I was floored. These are not the Sears photos that my generation got when we were growing up! Their amazing photographer, Amy Tripple, did an outstanding job taking beautiful pictures that highlighted all of the things that we love about babies - their little toes & fingers, their little bums, and itty bitty fat rolls (I wish they were as cute at 31 as they are at 3 weeks).


And Amy works with more than just newbies...infants and little kids are welcome too. No more awkward poses in front of a fake mantel at JC Penney. You can have fun picks of your kids that show their personality! My mother would have killed to have these options!

If you are in the Chicagoland area, definitely consider working with this gem of a photographer. Kids grow up so fast, and I think it is important to have great photos to capture these important moments in their life!


PS. I may be a bit partial, but these last two are my faves - it's my little niece, Makena!

Beautiful April Showers

Bridal Shower and Photography.

If there is something that I have definitely learned from experience, it is that great photography makes all of the difference in the world when you are trying to capture important moments or details.

So when Sandra Pan of Sandra P Photography reached out to tell us about a very special bridal shower that she had shot, I was very impressed to find out that it was the future groom that had requested her services. Mike wanted to make sure that his fiance, Erika, had a very special shower...and he wanted it captured on film in the best way possible. He's a keeper!

Check out these amazing photos by Sandra P.

The Bride and her friends enjoy a lovely afternoon.

The pink and green theme are carried through very well in the invites and lovely hanging arrangements.

I love the bling on the cupcakes!

Every girl loves champagne and Tiffany's.

And captured perfectly on film, a lovely card from the groom. He wrote some very thoughtful words about his first date with Erika. It brought the bride to tears and brought on many oohs and ahhs from her friends.

Best Wishes to Erika and Mike! And thanks to Sandra P for sharing her wonderful work!