Balloon garlands are so beautiful and add extra charm to any event or party; however, buying a balloon garland from a “professional” can get very expensive. What most people do not realize is balloon garlands are actually incredibly simple and affordable to construct! Today, I am going to show you how to DIY a professional looking balloon garland for a fraction of the cost.
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How to Buy a Balloons
The first thing you need to do is gather your balloons. You can buy all the balloons separately if you want, but I find it easiest to at least start with a balloon garland kit. Amazon has a lot of good kit options to choose from; however, they also have a lot that are not so great. I have used several kits from Amazon, so I have a few that I will recommend later.
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Things to look for in a Balloon Garland kit:
- Different Size Balloons – Different size balloons add dimension to a balloon garland making it look fuller and more professional. You’ll want the base chain of your arch to be constructed of 10″ balloons with some 5″ and 18″ balloons to add here and there.
- Glue Dots – Most balloon garland kits will come with glue dots. Sometimes I do not use the glue dots, but they are good to have on hand in case you need to stick something in place. I do not recommend using the glue dots to attach the balloons together or to attach dimensional balloons to the base chain (You’ll see later how I recommend attaching everything). The glue dots just help reinforce the garland and keep the balloons from twisting out of place.
- 85+ Balloons – In order for the balloon garland to make a beautiful showing at your event, you’ll need at least 85 balloons. For reference, the balloon count in the images above are as follows: white(89), rodeo(88), rainbow(113).
- Read The Reviews – I usually don’t read reviews because there is always 10 people who absolutely love the product and 10 people who couldn’t hate it more; however, with balloon kits on Amazon, I always read reviews. I always look for reviews where people have included images. In images you can see what color the balloons will actually be and kind of gauge the quality of the balloons.
Best Balloon Garland Kits on Amazon
I have tried several different balloon garland kits on Amazon and these are my favorite companies to buy from:
- House of Party – House of Party is probably my favorite because their balloons are great quality. the balloons have long stems which make them easy to tie together. They’re also packed in a sturdy box rather than a bag. House of Party always sends glue dots with their products, and one of the kits I bought even contained command hooks. I’ve never had any of their balloons pop while blowing them up, and the colors are great, too.
- RUBFAC – RUBFAC is my second favorite company to buy balloons from. I’ve never had one of their balloons pop while blowing them up, and they also have long stems for tying. RUBFAC tends to run a little bit cheaper than House of Party. They are shipped in a bag rather than a box, but the balloons are always of good quality.
- Amandir – Amandir is another one I recommend because it is significantly cheaper than the other two I mentioned; however, with a cheaper price comes a bit cheaper quality. I have had 2-3 balloons out of the kit pop while blowing them up. So if you’re on a strict budget and don’t mind losing a few this might be a good brand to look at.
Supplies:
- One of the balloon garland kits mentioned above.
- Electric balloon pump (This is an absolute MUST)
- 260 balloons (This is the best and easiest way to attach balloons together
- Command hooks
How to Assemble the Balloon Garland
- 1. First you need to blow your main chain (10″ and 12″) balloons up and tie them into sets of two. So, leave one untied while blowing up another one, then tie them together! One key factor that differentiates a professional balloon garland is the shape of the balloon. You do not want the balloon to be oblong or misshapen. Just blow it up until it is a nice sphere then stop! It is best to group colors together in multi-colored garlands. It makes the garland look more planned out and organized rather than a big jumble of chaos.
- 2. Now that all the 10″ and 12″ balloons are blown up and paired by color, it is time to create the main chain. You will do this by taking a 260 balloon and tying one end to a balloon pair. From here, you will figure 8 the 260 balloon around the rest of the balloon pairs, linking 260 balloons throughout. It is best to group 2-3 pairs of same color balloons before moving to the next color.
- 3. Now that the main chain is done, blow up the small 5″ balloons and group them into clusters of 4 or 5. Tie one cluster onto each end of a 260 balloon. The smaller balloons will be weaved in once the main chain is in place.
Placing the Balloon Garland
- 4. It is now time to place the main chain of the balloon garland. Command hooks are one of the easiest ways to attach a balloon garland to a wall or display. If you are lucky enough to have a pole or post to work with, just use a string to tie it up!
- A little hack if you are placing a balloon garland around ceiling tiles: Attach a string to the balloon garland, then lift up a ceiling tile and stick the other end of the string behind it. When you lay the ceiling tile back down, it will hold the balloons up. (Method used in the pictured white a rainbow garlands above)
- 5. Weave small balloons in to add dimension. This is an extremely important step in creating a professional looking garland! This is where I usually use the glue dots to secure everything after the clusters have been weaved in.
Ta Da!!
How Much Does a Balloon Garland Cost?
After buying the 260 balloons and the electronic balloon pump, the garland itself can cost anywhere from $15 – $30. Yes! You can do this yourself and save hundreds of dollars!
How Long Does a Balloon Garland Last?
I would not recommend blowing up the balloons more than 3 days ahead of time. 2 days or the day of is probably best. I have had balloons last months after blowing them up, and I have had them last about a week. In order to have perfect looking balloons for your event, I wouldn’t risk blowing them up any sooner than 3 days ahead of time.
What type of Air Should I Use?
It is important to use oxygen to blow up a balloon arch unless you plan on using it within the next few hours. (This is why I recommend the electric pump!!) Helium balloons will not last longer than 24 hours.