Charmin(g) Wedding Dresses

Hundreds of budding designers got the chance to showcase their talents by designing wedding dresses for the fourth annual "Cheap Chic Weddings 2008 Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest". However, these creations were not made from finest silks or satin, but from rolls and rolls of toilet paper, bound together by glue and tape.

That did not seem to deter the designers, who managed to add ruffles, pleats, lace effects and even faux embroidery to their creations. The raw material was provided to all entrants free by contest sponsor Charmin - the purveyor of fine toilet paper!

Each contestant was required to send three digital photos of his/her creation for consideration by the judges. The six finalists then had to mail their wedding dresses to New York, so that the judges could select the final three winners.

This year, the first prize was awarded to Katrina Chalifoux from Illinois, who spent several weeks and seven toilet rolls to create a beautiful dress with intricate floral work and a cascading train. For her efforts, she received $1,000 U.S. Dollars and a trip to New York City.

The second prizewinner, Terri Glover, spent several weeks researching wedding gown books to come up with her creation. It took her three weeks and four Charmin (extra-strength) toilet rolls to make the exotic creation, which included lace, pearls and even intricately shaped roses. She received a gift card for $500 U.S. Dollars. The third prize of $250 U.S. Dollars went to Ann Lee from Honolulu, Hawaii. All three gowns will be displayed at Ripley's Believe It Or Not!, also a sponsor of the contest.

Sources: USA Today, MarlinDemocrat