As lovely as it is short lived

July 7, 2008 in Contests,Dresses,Wedding Dresses with 7 Comments

How do I miss the Cheap Chic Weddings TP dress contest every year? I’m actually rather surprised that I heard nothing about it, as it appears the event is becoming somewhat famous. This year’s competition was sponsored by Charmin and Ripley’s Believe It Or Not!, and the three finalists were flown to New York where they participated in a live judging event at Ripley’s Believe It Or Not! Museum in Times Square.

Want to see this year’s winner? No prob! Here’s the front:

And here’s the back:

The winner, Katrina Chalifoux of Rockford, Illinois, took home a $1,000 gift card for her sheath dress with a raised flower pattern crafted from molded toilet paper. I am astounded at the level of detail she achieved using TP — is it just me, or do the dresses get more elaborate each year?

The second place winner, Terri Glover of Marlin, Texas, took home $500 for her gown embellished with intricate “lace” and delicate “beads,” and Ann Kagawa Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii took home third place (and $250) for her elegant and princessy entry.

Now I don’t know about you, but I’m tempted to enter next year’s contest!

About Christa Terry: Christa Terry is a writer and wedding and lifestyle expert whose book iDo: Planning Your Wedding with Nothing But ‘Net is a one-stop planning resource for modern, free-thinking brides and grooms. With one husband, one toddler, and more on the way – kids, not husbands – Christa somehow manages to stay on top of the tricks and trends that make getting married and living life stylish and fun.

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7 Responses to “As lovely as it is short lived”

  1. Roya July 7, 2008 at 10:59 am #

    The Honolulu paper had an article on this. I thought it had some nice details in it, like the fact she had made one before for a shower.

    http://starbulletin.com/2008/06/26/features/story02.html

  2. Never teh Bride July 7, 2008 at 11:14 am #

    Thanks for the link, Roya — the pictures on Cheap Chic Weddings didn’t do her gown justice!

  3. blablover5 July 7, 2008 at 11:43 am #

    It reminds me of the prom dress duct tape challenge they have every year. Every year they get more and more elaborate as well, so you really start to wonder what will happen to it in 5 years.

  4. Never teh Bride July 7, 2008 at 1:25 pm #

    blablover5: One does wonder if it takes a bit of the fun out of it, knowing that there are crack seamstresses out there who are putting together TP couture creations. Once upon a time, the entries were a lot less polished, and maybe the whole thing was a bit more fun!

  5. blablover5 July 7, 2008 at 1:42 pm #

    Those contests always seem to degrade into companies paying people to come up with a winning outfit and they can somehow use it for marketing.

  6. Audrey July 7, 2008 at 3:56 pm #

    I think they featured it on the Today show..I remember seeing it on some morning program.

  7. Roya July 7, 2008 at 6:17 pm #

    I think you are underestimating the weird craftsyness of ladies who sew. This sort of contest is always going to bring them out. They are like knitters, the only limitation on them is the cost of materials and finding someone to wear there work.