How to Make a DIY Balloon Garland Backdrop Arch

Nothing makes a party or holiday feel more like a special occasion than an eye-catching balloon garland. I knew that I wanted to make July 4th feel a little more like a party than usual, so I ordered a DIY Balloon garland kit from Amazon. 

This post contains affiliate links. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

I have never made a balloon garland backdrop before, so I was a little unsure of how many balloons I would need for our backdrop size, and what the setup times would be in order to blow them all up, attach them to the balloon tape and then create the actual balloon garland. When I ordered I made sure that my delivery date gave me a few days ahead of time to work with everything and create the cutest balloon arch. 

WHERE TO FIND BALLOON GARLAND BACKDROP KITS

The color palette was a no brainer…red, white and blue. When I started searching Amazon for balloon kits, I was amazed at how many different options they had! So many colors and styles. I’m looking forward to making lots of these balloon garland backdrops in my future! Just start searching and the creative juices will flow!

The kit I ordered came with 150 balloons. A great mix of giant balloons, large, medium and small latex balloons in solid colors, patterned latex balloons and a few mylar shaped balloons to top it all off. SO many balloons!! I knew that 150 balloons would be way too many for the size of our backdrops, but I would rather have too many than too few!

FAVORITE BALLOON KITS RIGHT NOW

Click on any image for more info about the balloon kit.

I ordered one of these little balloon pumps which made life SO much easier! My friend Skye and I teamed up and blew up roughly half of the balloons, we ended up using all of the giant balloons and most of the patterned and mylar balloons in our balloon garland and had about half of the smaller solid color latex balloons left…they’ll be perfect to have around for other occasions. 

I also ordered these pretty arches for the base of our balloon arch. I have used these before for a decoration behind the sweets table at Andy’s wedding dinner. They are so great to have on hand! Perfect for any kind of occasion and a great way to dress up a table or important occasion. 

THINGS TO AVOID WHEN MAKING YOUR BALLOON GARLAND

When we started blowing up the balloons I soon realized that placing the arch in direct sunlight would be a bad idea, along with any placement near abrasive surfaces like stucco or brick walls, and obviously sharp objects would be a big problem. That definitely influenced where we decided to ultimately place the arch in this tiny house. As we blew the balloons up I kept them in a room free of anything that might lead to them being popped…they took up a fair amount of space…just be aware!

TIPS  FOR MAKING A DIY BALLOON GARLAND BACKDROP

-Most DIY balloon kits come with what is called balloon tape. It comes in a long roll which I thought was a bit challenging to work with. I cut it into smaller sections so it was easier to work with and then connect those sections later as I created the garland. 

-The balloon tape is actually not sticky, just a roll of clear plastic with holes in it for you to put the tails of the balloons through. 

-If you’re working in a tight space, blow up balloons as needed as you make the garland, rather than blowing them all up at once and then making your garland. It will keep all the balloons more organized in a more confined space. 

–Help yourself and invest in a small balloon pump. For under $20 it will save your life!

-Don’t overfill your balloons. Tying them will be much easier if you don’t overfill. 

-Zip ties are the way to go for attaching sections of your garland to the arches or other surfaces. You can string them through the holes on the balloon tape and then tie them up super easily. I ordered this pack so I would have them in all different sizes. 

-Don’t attach all of your balloons to the tape. Leave some balloons loose so that after your hang the garland, you can place them around the base of the garland to give it a drape-y feel and you can tape them on to the garland in spots where there are empty spaces or gaps that need to be filled in.

-Give yourself plenty of production time so that you won’t get frustrated. It’s not difficult to make a balloon garland, it can just get repetitive and tiring to blow up 150 balloons, so do a handful and then come back to it awhile later. 

-If you are planning an outdoor installation, extreme heat and cool temperatures can affect how your balloons look, so try to keep your garland inside as long as possible. Definitely don’t store it outside over night or for a long stretch outside before your event. Inside, your balloon garland can last for several days and still look great!

I hope you love making a balloon garland! They really are SO fun and elevate any get-together or event and are so reasonably priced if you are willing to DIY. I’m hooked!

Looking for other great party ideas? Check out the party gallery here and some of my most popular events for inspiration here:

Cute Family Friendly New Year’s Eve Party

Adorable Back to School Party

Amazing Mermaid Pool Party

Taco Bout a Fiesta

Spooky Spider Halloween Party

Darling Ugly Sweater Party

Fabulous Frozen Inspired Party

Pretty Pink Pirate Party

Christmas Girl’s Night Wrapping Party

Crafty Valentine Party for Kids

Have you signed up for our newsletter?  Don’t miss out on getting all of the latest from Pink Peppermint Design delivered right to your inbox.  Click here to subscribe to our newsletter and get access to our entire library of over 65 free printables.  

Thanks for visiting the blog! Come and join me on social to follow along with all of my Design, Travel, DIY, Shopping Deals and other posts. You can find me here:

Instagram | Pinterest | Facebook | Like to Know It

I hope you have a wonderful time entertaining and making a balloon garland backdrop for your next dinner party or special occasion! 

Tammy