CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--After much anticipation, Donna Pope Vincler was named the winner of the 11th Annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest presented by Cheap Chic Weddings and Charmin at today’s design showcase. For the first time in the contest’s history, the winning design will inspire a ready-to-wear dress to be created by Kleinfeld Bridal.
Earlier today, ten finalists showcased their work at the contest’s finale event held at Kleinfeld Bridal’s New York City location. Contestants crafted dresses out of nothing more than Charmin toilet paper, tape, glue and/or needle and thread, and this year, 1,498 entrants were up to the challenge. Celebrity weddings and events planner, Michael Russo, along with Kleinfeld Bridal co-owner Mara Urshel, were in attendance to help select the winning designs.
“I have planned many high-profile weddings, and at each, the dress is always the show-stopper,” says Russo. “These gowns made from Charmin toilet paper are no exception and the level of detail the finalists brought to the table this year is stunning. I can’t wait to see the winning dress brought to life in a ready-to-wear design!”
Cheap-Chic-Weddings.com, which operates as a money-saving website for brides-to-be, began the annual contest eleven years ago based on the popular bridal shower game. As the contest has increased in popularity from year to year, so has the level of competition.
“Each year our contest gets bigger and better,” says Laura Gawne, co-founder of Cheap Chic Weddings. “We are continuously amazed by the great designs and love seeing the creative talents of each contestant come to life.”
This marks the fifth 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 two and 40 rolls of Charmin Basic, Charmin Ultra Soft, Charmin Ultra Strong, and even a vintage Charmin product from the 1970s.
“We always look forward to seeing Charmin’s strong & soft qualities being showcased in such a unique way,” says Eric Breissinger, Vice President, North America Family Care, Procter & Gamble. “Congratulations to Donna Pope Vincler and all the finalists.”
Donna Pope Vincler won the Grand Prize of $10,000 and was joined at the finale event by the other nine contest finalists. Runner-up Mimoza Haska from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, received a check for $5,000, and third place winner Carol Touchstone from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, received a check for $2,500. 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 nearly five billion people around the world with its brands. The Company has 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®, Wella® and Whisper®. The P&G community includes operations in approximately 70 countries worldwide. Please visit http://www.pg.com for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.
