How to Decorate a Wedding Reception With Balloons

Balloons--they're not just for birthdays anymore. With a little thought, balloons can make a great wedding reception decoration. They can be whimsical and fun at a casual wedding, but they can also be sophisticated and elegant for a formal event. What's best is that balloons can fit just about any wedding budget. Make these smart, easy balloon clusters for your reception.

Things You'll Need

• 6 latex balloons per cluster
• 1 large or shaped "featured" balloon per cluster
• 1 balloon weight per cluster
• 1/8- to 1/4-inch ribbons, 8 to 10 feet per balloon
• Butter knife
• balloon clips (optional)
• Helium tank (optional)
• Tulle or garland accents (optional)

Instructions

Planning and Preparing

1. Decide on how many balloons you will need. Each cluster will feature 1 balloon that stands out, with 6 additional balloons around it. The featured balloon can be larger, with special designs (such as flowers or the couple's name) or a pretty shape (such as a heart or champagne bottle). Multiply each cluster you will need by six, and that's how many latex balloons you will need, plus one featured balloon for each cluster. Always purchase a few extra to allow for breakage.

2. Choose your colors and designs. Your featured balloon can have a little more pizazz, but the balloons surrounding it should be more subtle and plain. Too much variety looks more circus-like than wedding-like. Simple white, with your wedding color as an accent, or soft-colored translucent balloons around a Mylar featured balloon work best.

3. Decide if it would be better to get a helium tank and blow them up yourself or allow a party store to do it. Because you are dealing with helium, this will have to be done in less than 10 to 12 hours before the wedding, or else the balloons may begin to sink in the middle of your reception. Getting your own helium tank will usually save you money, however it will take much more time. If you have a party store fill them, you will have to take into consideration picking them up and transporting them to the reception area.

4. If you are blowing balloons up yourself, for each cluster, blow up 3 of the latex balloons only a little bit--they should only be approximately 3 to 4 inches in diameter--and tie them off or clip them. Place these inside of an extra large balloon with a handful of confetti. Blow up the large balloon with the smaller balloons and confetti inside of it. Tie it off or clip it. You should see the 3 smaller balloons and the confetti lying inside of the extra-large see-through balloon. If you are having a party store fill your balloons, you can ask them to do this for you.

5. Blow up the remaining latex balloons to their full capacity. Tie or clip each one with a balloon clip.

Making your Balloon Clusters

1. If you are blowing balloons up yourself, try to blow them up at the reception hall before the event to avoid transporting. It might be best to put a friend in charge of this task while you get ready. Blow up all of your featured balloons and latex balloons. Tie them off or use balloon clips. Tie a ribbon to each balloon you have blown up. Tie it so that there is approximately 6 to 8 feet of ribbon length to attach your balloons to the weight, and 2 extra feet hanging from the other end so you can curl it up.

2. To curl ribbons, hold the stem of the balloon with one hand. With the other hand, hold a butter knife and press the dull blade to your thumb. Put the strip of ribbon between the knife and your thumb. Press hard and run the knife down the ribbon to its edge and it should curl up when you release it. Practice curling ribbon before the wedding if you've never done it before. It only takes a few attempts to get the hang of it.

3. If you are having your balloons blown up at a party store, they will clip the balloons and put the ribbons--curls and all--on for you. Transport them carefully, but quickly. If they are left in a hot car, they can begin to deflate or pop. You may want to consider using a van.

4. Tie the featured balloons to the balloon weight at the height you want them to be. For this, you should know how tall the ceilings are at your reception hall. For table centerpieces, you'll only want them to stand 3 or 4 feet. If standing on the floor, you'll want them 6 to 8 feet high, but not brushing the ceiling.

5. Tie 3 of the latex balloons to the weight so that they are hovering just below the featured balloon. Tie 3 more balloons a little lower than the first bunch so that they are staggered. You'll have a nice cluster that will have a bouquet-like appearance. Make sure all the ribbons are secured to the weight. Cut off any excess ribbon that hangs off of the weight to avoid the it looking sloppy, or curl the ribbon ends.

Decorating

1. If you are using balloons as centerpieces, place one cluster on each table. If you have a long dais table, you can place one in the center, and one at each end. Any more than that will look too cluttered.

2. Single clusters can be placed in corners, or one on each side of entrances and exits. Make sure they are the same height for uniformity throughout the room.

3. Groups of clusters look nice if you want to draw attention to a certain area, such as placing them behind the cake table, behind the dais (instead of using them as center pieces) or behind the band stand. Odd-numbered groups of 3 or 5 are more aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The center one should be slightly taller than the ones on either side. For an even nicer look, clip some lightweight tulle or garland on the stems of the featured balloons that you have grouped so that it swags between them.

Tips & Warnings

• Fill balloons, tie a string on them and let them loose to float up to the ceiling of your reception hall. The strings should be just long enough for guests to grab them if they like. For a nice wedding arch, see if your party store or balloon distributor can make a balloon arch that will match your clusters.