At my first wedding shower I encountered the art of toilet paper couture. We split up into groups and had to make a wedding dress out of toilet paper in 5 minutes. This was a difficult task as toilet paper is hard to work with, let alone make a couture gown out of. We were judged by the bride on creativity, presentation and if it was a dress she would actually wear. My team lost due to a few hemlines falling but it fun!
Laura Gawne, Susan Bain and Roxie Radford are “Toilet Paper Wedding Contest” founders and creators of Cheap Chic Weddings. Laura Gawne and partner Susan Bain operate their website Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com on ways to save money on weddings. They asked their readers to create wedding gowns using toilet paper, tape and/or glue. Entrants were allowed to sew as well.
The Ninth Annual Cheap Chic Weddings “Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest” was sponsored by Charmin. They also welcomed new sponsors Idoweddingrunners.com and Womengettingfit.com. The winners were announced at an event hosted by RK Bridal in New York City. Dresses were judged on Creativity, Originality, Beauty and the use of Toilet Paper. Celebrity judge Kate Pankoke, bridal designer and season 11 Project Runway contestant, helped with the final judging which took place at RK Bridal New York City, NY.
The Official Ninth Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest Winners are Mimoza Haska from Surfside Beach, SC (First Place $2000 grand prize), Susan Brennan, Orchard Lake MI (Second Place), and Carol Touchstone, Ft. Lauderdale, FL (Third Place).
Grand Prize winner Mimoza Haska is an Albanian born hairdresser and designer now living in Surfside Beach, SC with her family. She calls her dress “Beautiful Swan” and created it to fit her model. The dress features a cutaway bustier, hi-lo skirt, lilies and a crown style headpiece.She used 16 Rolls of Charmin Ultra Soft, Glitter Glue, Glow in the dark glitter glue, Elmer’s glue, paper tape and needle and thread.
This year’s second place winner is Susan Brennan, a designer, professional cheerleader for the Detroit Pistons and yoga enthusiast. She is from Orchard Lake, MI and was the grand prize winner in 2011 and 2012. Her dress is name “City in Bloom”. She wanted to create an entry that is chic, yet whimsical with an interesting balance of hard and soft. She used 11 rolls of Charmin Ultra Soft, Packing Tape, Scotch Tape, Hot Glue and Needle and Thread. The dress features large roses on a removable skirt with a halter style top. The dress converts to a short party dress.
This year’s third place winner is Carol Touchstone, owner and creative force behind “Bohemian Style, an upscale consignment boutique in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. She is an interior designer and fashion stylist as well as a published author.
Her dress is named “Coastal Wave”. She drew inspiration from her love of the ocean and wanted to create movement on the piece. Her dress features a support hoop under the dress, asymmetrical accordion pleats and appliques. She used 30 total rolls of Charmin including Charmin Basic, Charmin Ultra Soft, Vintage pink Charmin from etsy.com, Mod Podge glue, Scotch tape, Clear packing tape, double sided tape, white glue and needle and thread. She receives a $500 prize for her submittal.
Photos from the contest and money saving ideas for planning your wedding can be found at http://www.cheap-chic-weddings.com/wedding-contest-2013.html.
For more information visit www.Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com