At Saddle Back Church in Anaheim, a teenager stands before a full length mirror in a sage green evening gown. She examines her reflection with a critical eye. She is choosing a dress for her prom and it has to be perfect.
The main auditorium of the local church has been turned into a boutique by the non-profit organization Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County. There are racks of evening dresses and gowns, organized by color, as far as the eye can see.
Racks of dresses at Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County’s annual Prom Event in Anaheim.
(Sarah Mosqueda)
“I don’t know,” the teen says to Erin Carlton, Cinderella’s Closet founder and director. “Can I see the pink one again?”
“Of course you can!” Carlton answers enthusiastically.
Each year, Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County host an annual prom event, providing free gowns, shoes and accessories to high school juniors and seniors from Orange and Los Angeles counties. The organization is dedicated to providing an experience that reaffirms an individual’s dignity and worth by making dreams of wearing a beautiful dress to a school dance come true.
March 12 was the first day of the three-day prom event at Saddleback Church. There are roughly 3,000 dresses of all styles available, most of them new, adorned in details like glitter, tulle and sequins.
Cinderella’s Closet provides shoes and jewelry to complete the girls’ prom looks.
(Sarah Mosqueda)
“We buy the dresses, Carlton said, noting that 95% the gowns on display were purchased from three designers in Los Angeles. “We buy all of the shoes new, all of the jewelry new … we want the kids that come through here to have the best of the best.”
Carlton started Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County five years ago, inspired by her friend Erin Peterson, who started Cinderella’s Closet Kentucky in 2006 as a ministry of a local Methodist church there.
“I used to fly back and help her in Kentucky, which is where I am from,” said Carlton. “Then right before COVID, she said ‘why don’t you start your own in California?’”
Erin Carlton, left, the founder of Cinderella’s Closet hugs Elizabeth Jaime, 18, and Karen Lavios, 17, during the Nonprofit Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County’s annual Prom dress event at Saddleback Church Anaheim.
(James Carbone/James Carbone)
Today there are Cinderella’s Closet chapters in Florida, Arkansas, Ohio, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Tennessee, each operating as an independent ministry or a charitable nonprofit organization.
Carlton runs Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County with Tasha Niebrugge. The two women, both in matching pink T-shirts and black leggings, walk the aisles of options with girls, zipping up a dress here, fluffing a skirt there.
“We’re in the business of giving away dresses, but honestly, that’s not what we we do,” said Carlton. “We are in the business of giving these girls a day they never want to forget.”
Carlton said the dresses they provide can retail for up to $500, which is a steep price for a teenager who still has to worry about hair, make up and shoes, not to mention a prom ticket, dinner and transportation. The price of prom continues to rise each year. Providing a dress to individuals in need eliminates one of the barriers to a fun night out.
Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County
provides free prom gowns, shoes and bling to teen girls in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
(Sarah Mosqueda)
Students can be referred by their school principal or counselor, a community organization staff member or a social care agency. Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County then reaches out to schedule the appointment. This year, the nonprofit was prepared to accommodate 650 girls over the three-day period.
Outside the main room, girls wait in the lobby for their turn to shop. Cupcakes and refreshments are set up along with a pink balloon backdrop girls can model their dresses in front of. A personal shopper takes each girl into the boutique area to browse and help her try on gowns. Once a dress is selected, girls then shop for shoes and jewelry in an area with a sparkling sign that reads “bling.” There are tailors on site too, to make small adjustments and alterations. Finally, dresses are steamed and carefully packaged to go home with each girl.
Elizabeth Jaime, 18, left, and Karen Lavios, 17, pose wearing their new prom dresses during the Nonprofit Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County’s annual Prom dress event at Saddleback Church Anaheim on Thursday, March 12, 2026. (Photo by James Carbone)
(James Carbone/James Carbone)
Elizabeth Jaime and Karen Lavios, emerge from the boutique in their new prom ensembles for pictures in front of the lobby’s pink backdrop. Their dresses are completely styled with shoes and jewelry. Lavios wears a regal blue dress, which she has paired with silver heels, while Jaime has chosen a red dress.
“What probably made me try it on was because for my 15th birthday, I had a red dress,” said Jaime. “It just brought back good memories.”
The positive memories associated with a special dress and a special night is partly what motivates Carlton.
“Girls just want to feel good and stand tall,” she said. “And a dress can do that. A community can do that.”
More than 450 girls were able to find dresses at the Anaheim event.
Erin Carlton helps an Orange County teenager choose a prom dress.
(Sarah Mosqueda)
Inside the boutique, the indecisive teen is back in the first pink gown she tried on. Carlton fusses over the gown’s train, arranging it artfully on the floor around her.
“I think this is it,” the young woman said, admiring herself in the mirror. “This is the one.”
To donate or volunteer with Cinderella’s Closet of Orange County, go to cinderellasclosetoc.com