CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Van Tran from Brooklyn, NY was named the winner of the 12th Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest presented by Cheap Chic Weddings and Charmin at today’s design showcase.
Earlier today, 10 finalists showcased their work at the contest’s finale event held at Haven Rooftop at The Sanctuary Hotel. Contestants crafted dresses out of nothing more than Charmin toilet paper, tape, glue and/or needle and thread, and this year, more than 1,500 entrants were up to the challenge. Members from Cheap Chic Weddings, Charmin, Edward Meyer of Ripley’s Believe it or Not, The Sanctuary’s Hank Freid and Michael Russo, event planner to the stars and member of OK! TV entertaining team, served as judges for this year’s contest. All were in attendance to help select the winning designs.
“All of the dresses deserve to be worn by a bride on her wedding day,” says Michael Russo. “Every single beautiful creation, with the incredible level of detail and the uniqueness of the design, is showroom and runway ready.”
Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com, an online company specializing in fiscally savvy tips for a fabulous wedding, launched the annual contest based on the popular bridal shower game. As the contest has gained notoriety, so has the level of competition.
“Even after 12 years, our designers still manage to challenge our expectations,” says Laura Gawne, co-founder of Cheap Chic Weddings. “They genuinely surprise us and make choosing a winner more and more difficult,” added co-founder Susan Bain.
This marks the 6th year Charmin has partnered with Cheap Chic Weddings by providing coupons to help cover the cost of purchasing Charmin toilet paper used in creating each dress. Designers used between nine and 70 rolls of Charmin Ultra Soft, Charmin Ultra Strong and Charmin Basic.
“This is a one-of-a-kind event Charmin looks forward to every year,” says Victoria Schooler, Associate Manager, Procter & Gamble Brand Communications. “It truly demonstrates how our toilet paper is not only America’s softest bath tissue but also 4x times the strength of other toilet paper brands. Combined, this makes Charmin the perfect material for designers to create their dresses and models to wear on the runway.”
Van Tran won the Grand Prize of $10,000 and a trip for two to any Ripley’s Believe it or Not! Museum in the U.S. and was joined at the finale event by nine other contest finalists. Runner-up Judith Henry from Woodland Hills, UT received a check for $5,000, third place winner Donna Vincler from Brentwood, TN received a check for $2,500, and “Fan Favorite” winner Roy Cruz from Chesapeake, VA received a year supply of Charmin Ultra Soft and Charmin Ultra Strong toilet paper.
Photos from the contest can be found at www.cheap-chic-weddings.com, their Facebook and Twitter pages and across Charmin’s Facebook and Twitter pages.
About Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com
Cheap Chic Weddings was created back in 2003 to help couples have the wedding of their dreams regardless of their budget. Their mission is to enable couples-to-be to “have a cheap wedding that looks like a million bucks.” The company started the Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest eleven years ago to connect to their readers beyond the website and book. The inspiration for the creative contest came from the popular wedding shower game.
About Charmin
Charmin has been America's most popular toilet paper for more than 25 years. In the U.S., P&G offers Charmin Ultra Soft and Charmin Ultra Strong - premium two-ply toilet paper; Charmin Basic - a one-ply toilet paper; Charmin Sensitive - with gentle and soothing lotion with a touch of aloe & vitamin E. For more information on Charmin, visit http://www.charmin.com/.
About Procter & Gamble
P&G serves consumers around the world with one of the strongest portfolios of trusted, quality, leadership brands, including Always®, Ambi Pur®, Ariel®, Bounty®, Charmin®, Crest®, Dawn®, Downy®, Fairy®, Febreze®, Gain®, Gillette®, Head & Shoulders®, Lenor®, Olay®, Oral-B®, Pampers®, Pantene®, SK-II®, Tide®, Vicks®, and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and information about P&G and its brands.
