Participants in a nationwide contest that began April 5 found themselves on a roll to wipe out the competition.
The contest, in its sixth year, rewards competitors for their creativity and skill in creating wedding dresses out of toilet paper. This particular skill is one that has not been honed by many.
The contest was launched by three Florida women and modeled after a popular wedding shower game with the hope to inspire and motivate contestants to be creative when planning their weddings.
According to cheap-chic-weddings.com, “You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. Make your wedding your own. You’ll have a low-cost wedding that will be a cheap, chic, joyous occasion.”
The contest and Web site were created as a way for three friends to stay in contact and support a hobby they feel strongly about, said Paul Krupin, publicist for the Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest.
Since their creation in 2005, the Web site and contest are growing in popularity and seem to gain some sort of national or international attention each year, said Susan Bain, one of the contest’s creators.
In addition to the publicity gained by the contestants, the grand prize offered for the winning submission is $1,000.
The dresses are judged based on creativity, originality, beauty and the use of toilet paper, Bain said.
Only four materials other than toilet paper can be used in the creation of the dresses: tape, glue, a needle and thread.
The guidelines of the competition are lenient, and enlisting the help of friends in the brainstorming and creation of the dress is a formula for success, Bain said.
After the designing and creating stages are completed, the dresses are placed on mannequins. Photos of the front, side and back views of the dress are taken and submitted to the contest’s e-mail address, [email protected].
Although the dresses are judged on several components, “The best toilet paper wedding dresses stem from creative elements,” Bain said.
Prizes are also available for the second and third place contestants. They are $500 and $250, respectively.
Although there is hope for expansion with the continued publicity each year, the contest is currently only sponsored by the Web site and its creators.
Only one entry per contestant is allowed, and anyone age 18 or older may enter. Contestants are only able to enter twice in a lifetime, according to the official contest rules.
Several submissions have already been received, and many more are expected before the deadline of May 15.
Prizes will be distributed after all dresses have been submitted and judged. With these prizes, the Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest shows that creative bouts with toilet paper have become an alternate way to clean up.
