Capitanachi went on to say that for many quinceaneras, elaborate dresses are custom made and can take quite a while to produce.

“Some dresses take 3 days, 5 days, 10 days or 1 month, it depends,” she said.

Margarita Bargas and her staff spend hours sewing custom-made quinceanera dresses in an East Los Angeles shop. After more than 30 years of making them, Bargas has seen a transformation in quinceanera dresses.

“In the beginning we started with the light colors, maybe pink, lavender, baby blue off white and white. Now it’s a lot of different colors. More bright colors,” commented Bargas.

Planner Celia Barrios has coordinated 300 quinceaneras in Los Angeles. Her clients often request lavish venues, caterers, choreographers and custom-made dresses.

“Latino Americans that are born and raised here or have spent more, they’re wanting more. They kind of want to blend the tradition with something contemporary… That’s where I come in,” said Barrios.

A typical example is the quinceanera of Tatyana. Her family and friends have traveled from all over to celebrate. The ritual starts at a church, where Tatyana promises to honor herself, her family, and her religion.

At the reception, the family looks back at Tatyana's childhood pictures. Her mom, Helen Hernandez, says the family struggled financially at first.

“You can see through the pictures. And we’re so blessed and thankful that we were able to move it around and do this,” said Hernandez.