Joanna Gaines Just Got Hilariously Real About Her Magnolia Journal Cover Shoot

"I love to share the behind the scenes of photos because as we all know, there is always so much more going on than what is seen," said Joanna Gaines to open a recent Instagram slideshow post. The Fixer Upper star went on to reveal in candid (and comic) detail exactly what it took to capture the seemingly flawless image on the cover of The Magnolia Journal's Summer issue.

The Gaines family was vacationing in Mexico with their friends when Joanna spotted a charming white vintage VW. She thought it would make the perfect backdrop for The Magnolia Journal's Summer issue, so on their last night there, she asked her friend BJ to take her picture in front of it. But the photo shoot quickly became a comedy of errors that was nearly thwarted at every turn.

After BJ finagled permission to use the car, he couldn't get it to start. He then had to go back and ask in broken Spanish to borrow a second car to tow it with it. Meanwhile, Joanna was frantically tying her beach hair into a bun, applying makeup, and throwing on her dress (that's right, there was no wardrobe or hair and makeup team behind this stunning shot!).

By the time BJ got back with the VW, there was only two minutes of sunlight left to shoot in. BJ snapped away as his wife assisted, standing behind him with a baby in one arm and a couple of wide-angled lenses in the other. And behind her were Joanna's kids, who were begging to keep a stray puppy they had just found. "I'm yelling back at them 'Put that puppy down!!! Go inside and wash your hands, you could get ringworm!!'" Joanna wrote.

She goes on to say she assumed that the image would never make the cover given the lack of production and planning. And yet, despite everything, BJ managed to capture that one perfect moment when Joanna wasn't hollering at her kids to put down the puppy and the sunlight was hitting her just right, and the resulting cover is stunning.

"Every time I see this picture I smile because I love everything about what had to happen to get this one shot. It was chaotic, rushed, and hilarious but look! It made the cover," Joanna wrote, adding, "And there you have it . . . now you know the rest of the story."