FASHION
Quilted Northern Wedding Dress Designs Rival Popular Brands
During the 14th-annual Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest finals, held June 20 at New York City's Kleinfeld Bridal, clever designers showcased ornate, beautiful designs.
Sponsored by Cheap Chic Weddings, a company that plans dream-worthy weddings within a couple's budget, and bath-tissue manufacturer Quilted Northern, the competition requires designers to use minimal materials when creating designs. Armed with only Quilted Northern toilet paper, tape, glue, a needle and thread, the original 1,554 competitors were narrowed down to ten finalists.
"Even after 14 years of holding the contest, the designers consistently exceed our expectations!," Laura Gawne, co-founder of Cheap Chic Weddings said in a statement.
Her business partner and co-founder of Cheap Chic Weddings Susan Bain explained in a statement, "This year's entries are stunning and convey what is truly possible when toilet paper is meticulously designed."
Judges who chose this year's winners included members from Cheap Chic Weddings, Brian Rice of Quilted Northern, Mara Urshel—co-owner of Kleinfeld Bridal, reality-television personality Danielle Jonas and lifestyle expert Michael Russo.
From these finalists, Ronaldo Cruz of Chesapeake, Va. was awarded the $10,000 grand prize. A $5,000 second-place prize was given to Augusto Manzanares from New York and third-place winner Mimoza Haska of South Carolina received a $2,500 award. The prize for Fan Favorite was given to Frank Cazares from Palm Springs, Calif., who won $1,000.
A TP Wedding Accessories competition was open to students from the High School of Fashion Industries in New York. Student Ammy Sanchez was awarded a $500 scholarship for her winning design.
