Philadelphia mom spent $25,000 on Dubai-themed prom for her son

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When one Philadelphia mother decided not to send her son to Dubai, she decided to bring Dubai to him.

Saudia Shuler, who owns the restaurant Country Cookin', decided to throw a prom party that took over an entire block. It was in celebration of her son, Johnny "JJ" Eden, Jr.

"I just wanted to do something no one had ever seen before," she told Billy Penn. The party featured three Dubai-inspired sets, a Lamborghini, a Range Rover and Rolls Royce -- as well as custom outfits for Eden Jr.'s three dates. Oh, and a camel.

See photos from the party

Some may feel like this is too extravagant, but to Shuler it was all worth it. Eden Jr.'s father, Johnny Eden Sr., was murdered years ago. Then, in 2007 Shuler was in a car accident and couldn't work as a hairstylist anymore. Thankfully, she found a career in cooking -- but then three years ago, she suffered a stroke.

To Shuler, the party was to celebrate getting over those hardships. She said that if she lived to see her son graduate, she was not going to spare any expense. She spent around $25,000 from what she called the "JayJay prom and graduation foundation."

"Every day that I worked I put $200 in that. All my fives and change? I put them in that jug," Shuler said. In the end, the party cost less than it should've due to the generosity of businesses in the area.

This was just the prom party -- what about graduation? "The graduation gon' be fabulous," she told Billy Penn. "I'll show you receipts all the way from two years ago."