Balloons

Balloons are a party staple, bringing fun and elegance to any festivity. No matter the occasion—birthday, anniversary, graduation, or wedding—balloons encourage us to celebrate. Decorating with balloons is a surefire way to add a dose of joy to your special occasion or event setup. Whether you’re festooning your living room to celebrate a kid’s birthday, want a balloon archway for your gender reveal party, or are creating a backdrop for a bridal shower, there are endless ways to add pops of texture and color to your theme by bringing balloons into the mix.

The beauty of balloons is that they come in a colorful kaleidoscope of styles, each suited for a range of purposes and events. Some of the balloon styles to consider include:

• Balloon garlands: Balloon garlands are a string of connected balloons. They are great for decorating tables, backdrops, or railings. A garland can also form a balloon arch for a stunning, decorative entryway.
• Balloon bouquets: A balloon bouquet clusters multiple balloons to form something more elevated and festive. Consider two complementary colors for a simple, elegant design or go bold with a mishmash of hues. Balloon bouquets make great centerpieces as well as general party decor throughout your space.
• Shaped balloons: Foil balloons are best suited for shapes. For important dates, consider number balloons to celebrate an age or anniversary. Letter balloons are also great ways of putting a personal message or touch to an event, such as spelling “happy birthday” with balloons. For kids’ parties, it’s hard to go wrong with balloon animals or dinosaurs. A shaped balloon can also be a great addition to seasonal events, like something scary on Halloween or balloon champagne on New Year’s eve.
• Custom balloons: For a truly personal touch, consider custom balloons. Say exactly what you want to say with a printed message or custom letter balloons or pay tribute to the person of the hour with a printed image on your balloons. Work with shops on Etsy to find the perfect ways to personalize your balloon.

There’s more than one type of balloon to choose from, and each material is suited to certain uses. Here are some popular options to consider:

• Latex balloons: Think of these as your most common party balloons. Latex balloons are elastic and designed to stretch beyond their starting size. Latex balloons can be inflated with either air or helium, and come in a variety of colors.
• Helium latex balloons: Although regular latex balloons will inflate with helium, they’ll usually only last about 10 hours. Helium latex balloons are designed specifically to retain helium, keeping them going for up to four days. Helium latex is perfect if you want your balloons to last longer, like for your child’s extended enjoyment or if setup needs to happen a day or more in advance.
• Foil balloons: Foil balloons last even longer than their latex cousins, often surviving for up to two weeks. They are also reusable and are less prone to popping, which makes them ideal for more intricate shapes and giant balloons. However, foil balloons are less elastic and don’t do as well in the heat. Like latex, foil can be used with either air or helium.

There are a couple of ways to blow up your balloons and it comes down to the quantity of balloons you need and how you want to use them.

• Air inflation: The biggest advantage of air inflation is there’s no need for a tank—just take a deep breath and let your lungs do the work. For a few balloons, this is an easy option, but if you have dozens of balloons to inflate, using an air pump is something to consider.
• Helium inflation: Helium will let your balloons float, which can add to the decorative quality and is always fun for kids. Helium will require a tank for inflation unless you order pre-inflated helium balloons.