Do you like to host parties? Do you enjoy doing party decors yourself or do you decorate parties for other people? Balloon garland decoration seems pretty challenging to many people who just got into the party decor design field. Despite the intimidating process, the beauty and stunning effect still attracts many of us to give it a try. In this blog, I am going to talk about the different shapes and designs of balloon garlands. How basic balloon garlands are structured, and what are the things you can add to make the decor look more professional. Oh, and most importantly how to give your party decor a rough estimate of the number of balloons you would need.
Different Balloon Garland Structures
1. Simple balloon strip structure (Beginner)
Using the plastic strip is an easy cheat way to create a balloon garland. This small inexpensive tool is perfect for first time users. Melody Fantasy has one in every balloon garland kit.
You simply have to inflate and tie each balloon individually, then insert the balloon knot into the holes on the strip. It takes about 4-5 balloons per foot, which is a lot more loose than garlands made with quarts method. However, problem with this type of method is that balloons might pop out of the hole easily, and also you have to spend more time tying all the balloons one by one. It is also harder to create complex balloon designs using this method. You can get away with indoor parties with this method but a no no with outdoor events.
Also, this type of balloon garland is more skinny. It is suitable for simple balloon garland design such as a simple string of balloon across a clean wall or a doorway.
2. String of balloons made of balloon Quarts. ( Professional )
This type of basic balloon chain is often used by professional balloon artists. It is also the foundation to more advanced balloon garland structures. Balloon chains made in this method are thicker and tighter. It will take about 7-8 balloons per foot. The balloons are held tightly against each other, which means that your balloon garlands will stay in place longer.
How is it done?
All of Melody Fantasy's balloon garland kit comes with detail instruction of how to create a balloon garland using both method.
It is actually not as difficult as it seems. Simply tie 2 balloons together to form duplets, then twist the duplets together to get quarts. You can also connect 2 quarts to get a cluster of balloons for more complex balloon garland design, but we are going to focus on quarts now. Use the long balloon (260s) or use balloon necks to connect the balloon quarts. The basic chain is made of 10 or 12 inch balloons. You can also easily add more balloons of different material and sizes to the basic chain.
Take this look for example, it is made of one basic balloon garland, then you can structure the design with lots of add ons. The thicker the balloon garland, the more balloons you will need. Usually professional balloon artists will add quite some volume to the balloon garland, so to give the decor area more impact. Take a look at the decoration area you wish to cover and the balloon garland shape you wish to make, then doodle the idea on a piece of paper. It doesn't need to be super pretty but to roughly estimate how many balloons you would need. Melody Fantasy has taken care of selecting the best color palette and various balloon sizes, so all you need would be getting the number right. Do you need 1 pack or 2 or even 3?
3. Balloon Garland Design
An Organic Balloon garland can be designed in so many different shapes and designs. Once you get the grasp of the basic building blocks, which are the balloon chain and balloon clusters, you can make almost any designs and shapes. Here are a couple of general examples.
Here is an example of a balloon garland kit shaped in 2 different method. The first one is made of balloon clusters and is crafted in color blocks, while the other one is made into a string of balloons twisted onto a wooden ladder. For balloon garlands, some artist like to structure it in color blocks while some like random colors. Here is a good example for comparison between 2 different styles.
4.Use of other props and stands.
Props and stands are common supporting fixtures used in large party decorations. Frames and stands help to support balloon garlands and allow you to from various designs and looks. It also provides great support to you balloon art piece, which really important in large events. Another great feature about using metallic stand is that it allows you to move away from the wall. You are no longer tied to the wall or door or any fixtures, you are able to set up your balloon garland anywhere you like.
Metal Stands/Frames $$
Above are a couple of very common metallic stand that are being used in balloon garland crafting. All Frames are perfect for creating lots of fun balloon garland designs. However stands can add cost to your party budget.
Backdrops $
All kinds of backdrops are awesome buddies with balloon garlands. Common backdrops are simple chiffon backdrop cloth, shimmering metallic streamers, cloth streamers, sequin shimmer wall, polystyrene boards, and artificial flower wall. These materials varies in cost and assemble time. Leave a message if you wish us to talk more about it.
Here are a couple of examples of Melody Fantasy's streamer backdrop and balloon garland. See how you can create a wonderful photo booth for your event with these 2 items. An awesome photo booth is definitely the highlight of any party and event. It is the place where your guests can take pictures and video to remember your wonderful event. Streamer backdrop is less expensive than most backdrops, but a little time consuming.
Props
1. furniture
A nice piece of furniture can be a nice highlight to your decor. Either a chair or a table placed at the side can not only provide your guests a place to seat while taking photo, but also make your decor more lively. A nice desert table or desert cart, if you want to go further into this, will provide more contact points and engagement between your guests and the set up. This kind of decoration will make your party decor even more interesting.
How many balloons do I need?
Depends on how full you want your balloon garland to be, the number of balloons required can vary greatly. Keep in mind that you would need at least 6-7 balloons per feet for a descent balloon garland. Let's take a look at a couple of measurements to get a better idea of the balloon garland dimension.
All of above designs are done with similar pack of balloon garland kit. We used about 106 balloons in total, but in case of any popping balloons, we have more balloons in the kit. This probably will give you a better idea of the garland dimension, so to better estimate the amount of balloons you would need for your party. All 3 images used the same amount of balloons. As you can see the fuller the garland, the shorter the garland is. Also you probably would need couple of big balloons and small ones to give the garland more variation. There are chances that some of the colors might run out of small 5 inch balloons, so we have to replace them with 10 inch ones. In this case, you simply keep them small while inflating.
So how do we create balloon garlands?
It is not as hard as it seems. All of our balloon garland kits comes with a detailed instruction booklet, which includes both ways of making a balloon garland, the plastic balloon trip method and the balloon quarts method.
So this is a rough introduction to balloon garland party decorations, I hope you find it helpful. There are simply so much about balloon garland decorations. If you like party decoration, then come back to www.melody-fantasy.com often to check out our blog updates. If there is anything you would like us to share, feel free to send us an email or leave a message below, we are more than happy to talk about it.