How to Make a Balloon Arch a.k.a. Balloon Garland: The Ultimate Guide
Planning to make your next event extra fun with a balloon arch? A balloon arch is an easy statement piece to add to any celebration! They can be used as table centerpieces, hung along walls or with arches, and they provide great photo opportunities (trust us, kids and adults alike go CRAZY for them!)
From a young age, we associate balloons with celebrations. Every party should have a WOW factor and these trendy balloon arches can create any vibe to fit your event.
Building a balloon arch might seem a bit daunting, but we are here to help! This guide should help save you time and will cover step-by-step instructions and tips to make this a seemingly easy task! Our balloon arches at Ellie's Party Supply are bold, fun, and surprisingly simple to put together, no experience required!
If you’re not sure where to start in making a balloon arch, this ultimate guide will help you from beginning to end.
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Decide on the Right Balloon Garland Kit for Your Venue
1. Choose Your Venue
By choosing a venue, you will have a general idea of the space you are working with and where you would like your balloon arch placed. Consider measuring the area you're going to place the garland.
2. Decide Which Size Garland You Need
With the venue chosen, now we need to decide on the length of the balloon garland. At Ellie's Party Supply, we offer 5, 10, 15, and 20-foot garland kits.
Below are the approximate amounts you get with each kit, in a variety of balloon sizes:
- The 20-foot garland: about 200 balloons.
- The 15-foot garland: about 150 balloons.
- The 10-foot garland: about 100 balloons.
- The 5-foot garland: about 50 balloons.
This visual size guide should help you determine the size you need to fit your space:
3. Purchase Your Balloon Arch Kit
We recommend purchasing a balloon kit that has everything you need to easily construct your balloon garland. Customers say it saves them a lot of time and money over finding all of the sizes and colors of balloons they need individually.
Head over to ElliesParty.com to find the kit with balloon colors that coordinate with your theme. To help make your decision easier, we have many themes to choose from. However, we also offer custom orders if you don’t see what you are looking for, where you can select your own colors! (Psst... you can get 15% off your first order by subscribing here!)
Beginner Tips: Our balloon arch kits come with a detailed how-to-guide to make assembly a breeze! The kit includes a variety of super high-quality balloons in three sizes 5”, 11” and 17”, garland tape to string balloons onto, and glue dots to attach mini 5” balloons.
Here's an example of some of our most popular kits:
- A variety of premium decorator-quality balloons in 3 sizes: 5", 11", and 16"
- Balloon garland tape to string balloons onto
- Glue dots to attach mini 5" balloons
- Easy-to-follow assembly guide + video tutorial
Here's a look at what's inside Ellie's balloon arch kits:
No need to run around to piece together supplies; get it all delivered to your doorstep, neatly packed in a sweet little box, including:
In addition to the supplies included inside the kit, you may need:
- Scissors to cut the garland tape and wire/string depending on where you will be hanging the garland
- If you are looking to hang the garland from a wall (inside or outside), for a sturdy or secure hang, we recommend a product like Command Hooks
- If you want the garland to be free-standing, you will need a backdrop stand, which you could find on Amazon.com
- We HIGHLY recommend grabbing the hand pump (or an electric air pump,) as the balloons will need to be inflated with air
- Optional: You can make your balloon garland really POP by adding in giant 3-foot balloons!
- Optional: add stylish accessories like pampas grass, eucalyptus branches, or mylar balloons to take your design to the next level!
The Step-by-Step Guide to Making Your Balloon Arch
Now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s jump into our step-by-step guide in building your balloon arch!
For our visual learners, we put together an 11-minute video with step-by-step instructions on how to construct your balloon garland. We'll show you our techniques for constructing the arch, plus guide you through some Pro Tips to make it look designer-quality!
Or, scroll down to keep reading.
Step 1. Inflate the Balloons
As mentioned above, we highly recommend a hand or an electric air pump. (Because let's be honest, who wants to blow up 50-200 balloons my mouth?!)
Inflate and tie all of the balloons, and set aside.
Pro Tip: To give the balloons a beautiful round appearance (instead of oval), fill the balloon with air, and before tying, slowly press on the top and bottom while slowly releasing air. You can do this by pressing the balloon on a table or against your chest.
Step 2. Attach the Balloons to the Garland Tape
To secure your first balloon, leave about 12 inches of balloon tape free at one end. Start with your medium sized balloons first (11” & 17”). Fold the lip of balloon, and insert it through a hole in the balloon tape. You do not need to pull the knot through the whole. Add the remaining medium sized balloons, each in a new hole. Alternate as you see fit and if space gets too tight, skip a hole.
Step 3. Hang the Garland
After all of the medium sized balloons have been added, hang your garland using Command hooks or string.
If your balloon arch will be hung on a wall, ensure the hooks are secure. Hang the middle section first, and then the top and bottom sections. If extra stability is needed, add string to loop around the garland and tie to the hooks.
Quick Tip: It is best to start with the middle to determine the length you have above and below it, whether it be on an arch structure, with a backdrop, or hung from a wall.
Step 4. Add the Small and Giant Balloons to the Arch
The giant balloons are best added to the bottom ends of the arch. Even though they are air filled, they are a bit too heavy to add elsewhere on the garland.
Next, you will add the 5” balloons to fill in any gaps. Here, you will use the double-sided glue dots to secure onto the other, larger balloons.
Pro Tip: Try tying two 5" balloons together to make a "duo." Then, take another duo and wrap them into each other to create a "quad" cluster. Place these quads onto the garland for a designer effect.
Quick Tip: Apply one glue dot at a time. Gently press the glue dot to a balloon, peel the tape away, lightly press the balloon into the gap and allow the glue to adhere.
Step 5. Add Your Accessories
Balloon arches make an impact all on their own, however, you can always add accessories for a little more detail!
Palm leaves, faux flowers, greenery, or ribbons make great additions. Fun mylar or number balloons also make your balloon garland extra special. Add these items after your arch has been assembled and installed.
Congrats... you just built your first balloon garland!
We hope you had fun and learned something! When you post your masterpiece on Instagram, don't forget to tag us @elliespartysupply!
Need some additional help? Live chat us here on the website anytime!
Balloon Arch Frequently Asked Questions
We hope this ultimate guide in making your next balloon arch has helped answer your questions!
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