5 min read
How to build a balloon garland
Organic garlands are the most requested display there is, and the most commonly got wrong. Almost all of it comes down to balloon count and consistency.
How many balloons
Budget around 30 to 40 balloons per metre for a full organic garland in mixed sizes. That sounds like a lot until you build one — the density is what gives the effect.
Mix sizes deliberately. A typical blend is 5 inch, 10 inch and 12 inch in roughly equal thirds, with a handful of 18 inch to break the line. A garland made entirely from one size reads as a tube rather than an organic shape.
Air, not helium
Garlands are air-filled and tied to a decorating strip or fishing line. There is no reason to use helium — the garland is supported along its whole length, and air-filled latex lasts a week rather than an evening.
An electric pump is close to essential. Three hundred balloons by hand is an afternoon you will not enjoy.
Why consistency matters
A balloon sizer is a board with holes cut in it. You inflate until the balloon just passes through the hole, which makes every balloon of a given size identical.
This is the single biggest difference between a professional garland and a home-made one. Human judgement drifts over three hundred balloons, and inconsistent sizes read immediately as amateur even to people who could not tell you why.