Marlene Palomar, 15, walks shyly out of the dressing room in a yellow ball gown fit for a princess. She's greeted by an entourage of immediate and extended family, talking in unison in Spanish about how beautiful she looks.
The scene is just a preview of Palomar's much-anticipated quinceañera, where an even larger entourage of friends and family will celebrate on Sunday her transformation from girl to lady.
Her quinceañera, and that of 26 others, wouldn't be possible if it weren't for Norberto "Beto" Mojardin and his partner Cesar Delgado.
Mojardin owns Betos Beauty Salon in Aurora. Three years ago he decided to turn all those tears from mothers in his salon chair who didn't know how they could afford their daughters' quinceañeras into a dream come true.
By saving his tips, he threw - for free - his first quinceañera for 13 girls in the Denver area who had good grades and were willing to raise funds to earn money for their quinceañera.
In a grassroots effort, he rallied the Hispanic community and business owners for donations to put on the lavish event. The right of passage for young Hispanic girls can often be bigger and more expensive than a wedding and in this case, the price tag is around $50,000.
Because of the economy, more girls this year applied and donations were harder to come by, Mojardin said. Still, the quinceañera must go on.
The girls look forward to the party and all the preparation that goes into it - learning to waltz with their partner, getting their hair and makeup done by Mojardin and his staff and, of course, wearing a dress that could be plucked straight out of a Disney movie.
The mothers know this once-in-a-lifetime quinceañera is so much more than their 15-year-old daughters' minds can fully appreciate until later in life.
"It's the best dream she's going to have," said Evelia Medena, whose niece Mary Gonzalez is participating.
On Sunday, the girls will go to Mass at the Cathedral Immaculate Conception in Denver. They will then get ready, a process that will begin the day before, and take photos at Cheesman Park Pavilion in the afternoon.
The girls again will perform that night at their sold-out quinceañera, which will be attended by about 2,000 people at EXDO EventCenter at Tracks Night Club in Denver.
It's so much more than just an extravagant affair though, said Mojardin, who wants to take his quinceañera nationwide.
"It's very important because it unites (the Hispanic community)," he said, as evidenced by all the family members who huddled together at Cheeseman Park this weekend watching their daughters practice the choreographed dances.
Mothers get together and sell burritos at churches to raise money, daughters put on a car wash and younger brothers are never far from all the preparation, which began in June.
It's a learning experience, Mojardin said. Since he's providing a quinceañera the girls could only previously dream about, he's gotten their attention and he doesn't let the opportunity slip by.
"What these girls need to learn from their quinceañera is we need to stick together, we need to do well in school ... they need to be strong to make their dream come true," he said.
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