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The Vineyard at beautiful Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri[/caption]When I designed the 2015 collection of
plus size informal wedding dresses, I had in mind the bride with her heart set on a wedding in a romantic setting. So when it came time to photograph the collection, I insisted we find a location that bride would love - as much as her future husband. And we did at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri. Here's a fast-paced rundown of what went on behind-the-scenes on the day of the shoot: 6: 00 a.m. Pick up our gorgeous curvy model Jewels Hay at her hotel in St. Louis. 6:15 a.m. Fuel up the car. And fuel up Jewels with an ice cold Pepsi. I must have my coffee! 7:30 a.m. Roll into Hermann, Missouri a picturesque historic town high on the bluffs over the Missouri River on a gorgeous May morning with the sun rising high in the blue sky.
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Plus Size Model Jewels Hay arriving at Stone Hill Winery in Hermann, Missouri[/caption]7:40 a.m. Park in the visitors lot at Stone Hill Winery. Jewels can't resist posing for a candid under the winery's signs that steer visitors across the sprawling grounds. 8: 00 a.m. Makeup and hair stylist Yuri Phouapanya works her magic on Jewels, who always has her Pepsi within reach.
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Stylist Yuri Phouapanya gets Plus Size Model Jewels Hay ready for another shot.[/caption]9:00 a.m. Producer Mat Librach serves breakfast. No one can resist the hot, fresh donuts from the Battocletti Bake Shoppe on Market Street. Finger licking good way to start a long day! 9:30 a.m. Everyone frantically busy on set.
- Wardrobe steams all the plus size informal wedding dresses.
- Props manager arranges bridal shoes and exquisite hand-crafted wedding jewelry by Erika Koesler.
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Table full of Jewelry, Shoes and more for our Plus Size Bridal Shoot.[/caption]
- Gorgeous bouquets and vases of flowers created by Crystal Binkholder of Hermann Florist bloom in water.
- Tina Geltz of Wine Town Designs in Hermann adds a whimsical detail with her custom monogrammed wine stoppers and charms.
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Geltz of Wine Town Designs donated beautiful Wine Stoppers for our shoot.[/caption]10:00 a.m. Lights, camera and action on set: a covered porch overlooking the river valley. 11:00 a.m. VIP guest arrives on set. Don Kruse of the Hermann Advertiser Courrier visits. Noon: Clouds roll in. Radar shows storms within miles of our location. We delay plans to photograph in the vineyard until later in the day. Fingers crossed the weather clears!
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Plus Size Model Jewels Hay is ready for the Vineyard shot.[/caption]1 p.m. Crew wraps up a very productive morning with a delicious lunch of cold cut and cheese platters catered by the winery's wonderful German- inspired Vintage 1847 restaurant. 1:30 p.m. The rain, really a light drizzle, comes and goes just as we go back on set. Perfect timing! 3:00 p.m. Photography Preston Page clicks away capturing the details of the
plus size destination wedding dresses in the romantic setting .
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Photographer Preston Page works hard to get the right shot.[/caption]4 p.m. Late afternoon the setting sun hits the vineyards creating a picture-perfect backdrop to pose Jewels in a flowing chiffon design with a beaded neckline 5 p.m. Up the hill the crew goes to the 1876 Colonial house that houses the winery's gift shop and tasting rooms. Jewels poses on the second-story Juliet balcony to toss her bouquet to the crew below wearing a short Vintage-inspired wedding dress. (Where is Romeo when you need him?)
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Beautiful Balcony, perfect for an Editorial Shot.[/caption]5:30 p.m. The crews heads down hill to enter the cellar where barrels of wine age in rows. The blast of cold air (you can see your breath) feels great after being out in the hot sun. 6:00 p.m. It's a wrap! We celebrate a sensational shoot with a champagne toast to our most gracious hosts, Karen and Jon Held. Watch for a sneak peek coming soon!
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Time to celebrate an amazing bridal shoot.[/caption] [gallery ids="5635,5616,5629,5610,5622,5620,5627,5626,5625,5628,5618,5615,5630"]
