Havana Quinceaneras are all the rage

Voyages back to Cuba are becoming increasingly common for girls who find that marking their quinceañera, a traditional milestone that is their 15th birthday, on the island is both appealing, economical and easier with improved relations between the U.S. and Cuba in the past year.

As a father of one 15-year-old girl, Eliecer Lopez Rufin, said, "Cuba is in style. Everyone wants to come do their party here."

Photos by Ramon Espinsoa/Associated Press

Daniela Santos Torres, 15, waits in a classic American car with her father Ivan Santos to ride to her quinceanera party in the town of Punta Brava near Havana, Dec. 20, 2015.

Havana quinceaneras

Daniela Santos Torres, 14, models a hat for her quinceañera party at Estudio Mayer which took her portraits and organized her party in Havana, Dec. 18, 2015.

The celebrations, recognizing a young girl's transition to womanhood, date back centuries in Latin America.

Torres left Cuba when she was 3, returning in December for her quinceanera celebration. She now lives in Glendale, Arizona, where her father runs a home remodeling business.

Havana quinceaneras

Barbara Concepcion takes pictures of her daughter Amanda Teresa Betancur, who lives in Cuba, before her quinceañera party in Havana, Dec. 13, 2015.

Cuban reforms permitting small-scale, private businesses and the re-establishment of U.S.-Cuban diplomatic relations have encouraged new photo and event planning businesses for events such as girls' 15th birthdays.

Havana quinceaneras

Gladys Barroso Quintana, 15, who lives in Cuba, poses for photographers outside the Russian Orthodox Church in Havana, Dec. 3, 2015.

Some vestiges of the older celebrations remain, with Latin American girls performing traditional waltzes. But in Cuba, photographs are the main focus.

In the past, quinceañera photos typically featured girls in poufy dresses and crowns. But at many Havana studios, there are now punk-rock style sneakers and miniskirts among the rows of high heels and gowns.

Havana quinceaneras

Girls watch Amanda Teresa Betancourt, who lives in Cuba, during her quinceanera photo shoot with EstudiosMayer in Havana, Dec. 13, 2015.

Quinceañera packages at most studios start around $150 and include professional hair and makeup artists, scenic Havana backdrops and multiple wardrobe changes -- a bargain compared to similar services in the U.S. that typically start at about $1,000.

Havana quinceaneras

Camila Lopez Rivas, 14, poses for portraits on a beach in Havana, as an assistant lifts the train of her dress to make it look like its flying in the wind, Nov. 21, 2015.

Rivas finished her eight-hour photo and video shoot with a session at the beach. In February, she'll return for her party at the Melia Cohiba Hotel near Havana's Malecon seaside promenade.

The 14-year-old lives in Miami, the daughter of a truck driver who left Cuba when she was a baby. She doesn't remember the island, but wanted to return for the photographs and videos that Latin American girls typically take for their 15th birthdays.

Havana quinceaneras

A soft drink vendor smiles as he watches Amanda Teresa Betancur, who lives in Cuba, ride in a classic American convertible, on her way to her quinceañera party in Havana, Dec. 13, 2015.

It's not just Cuban Americans, but the daughters of workers in Cuba's emerging private sector who are also helping fuel business. With the economic reforms, many families on the island now have extra cash to spend for quinceañera celebrations.

Havana quinceaneras

Gladys Barroso Quintana, who lives in Cuba, changes behind her parents' car from a traditional quinceañera dress to a more modern one, in a street decorated with a mural of Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara in Havana, Dec. 3, 2015.

Havana quinceaneras

A classic American car sits decorated with balloons before taking Daniela Santos Torres, 15, to her quinceañera party in the town of Punta Brava near Havana, Dec. 20, 2015.

Many photo studios are run by former state sector professionals who purchased cameras with the help of U.S. relatives and have found taking pictures far more profitable than the average monthly government salary of $20.

Havana quinceaneras

Estefania Hernandez Perera, 14, who lives in Cuba, is photographed by FotoEcos, a studio that specializes in quinceañeras, along the Malecon in Havana, Dec. 27, 2015.

Hernandez is the third in her family to hire FotoEcos for their quinceanera portraits.

Signs for new photo businesses that document 15th birthdays line the doorways of decrepit Havana buildings and advertisements abound on websites such as Revolico.com, an underground Cuban Craigslist.

Havana quinceaneras

Daniela Santos Torres, 14, chooses a dress for her quinceañera party at Estudio Mayer, the company her family hired to take her portraits and organize her birthday party in Havana, Dec. 18, 2015.

Havana quinceaneras

Daniela Santos Torres, 14, breaks for a meal with her father Ivan Santos during a portrait session at EstudioMayer, which they hired to take her pictures and organize her birthday party in Havana, Dec. 18, 2015.

While many Cuban Americans who left the island shortly after the 1959 revolution remain reluctant to visit, those who left for primarily economic reasons over the past decade rarely hesitate to return.

"Recent Cuban immigrants tend to support more engagement of all kinds with Cuba, including restoring diplomatic ties, lifting the embargo, allowing travel by all U.S. citizens, and investing in the fledgling private sector of the island's economy," said Jorge Duany, director of Florida International University's Cuba Research Institute.

Havana quinceaneras

Camila Lopez Rivas, 14, poses for quinceañera portraits with Hansel, left, a member of Cuban band group Los Angeles in Havana, Nov. 21, 2015.

"I left very young," Camila said during the shoot. "But I'm from here."

The complicated networks connecting Cubans in Miami and Havana feed the growth: Rivas learned about Marbella Studio, the business she hired, from another girl in Florida who had her photos taken there.

Havana quinceaneras

Yunailey Dopico Martinez, 14, who lives in Cuba, adjusts her hat during a quinceañera photo session at the National Hotel in Havana, Dec. 5, 2015.

The girls also often pose in bikinis, feathered boas and little else for photos that would raise eyebrows in some parts of the U.S.

Havana quinceaneras

Daniela Santos Torres, 15, speaks with her boyfriend Erick before her quinceañera party in the town of Punta Brava near Havana, Dec. 20, 2015.

She said returning to Cuba for her celebration was "a dream," allowing her to include her extended family and friends on the island.

Havana quinceaneras

A qquinceañera poses during her photo session by postcards of Cuban revolutionary leader Ernesto "Che" Guevara near the Cathedral in Havana, Nov. 29 2015.

Marbella Studios owner Sarah Medina Vigor said about 60 percent of the 500 or so girls her studio photographs each year travel here from other countries, with July and December being the peak months.

Havana quinceaneras

A doll and cake sit ready for the quinceañera party organized to celebrate Daniela Santos Torres' 15th birthday in the town of Punta Brava near Havana, Dec. 20, 2015.

Havana quinceaneras

Daniela Santos Torres, 15, gives a candle to her father as she gifts candles to the most important members of her family during her quinceanera party in the town of Punta Brava near Havana, Dec. 20, 2015.

Torres is one of many Cuban-Americans who are choosing to hold their quinceanera parties in Cuba, as well as visit for photo shoots.

A guest at one such party, 14-year-old Maria Fernandez of Havana, said it was "very emotional" to see friends come back to the island for their 15th birthday celebrations. "They have friends and an entire life here," she said.