Everyone loves balloons at a party and what better way to incorporate them than by creating a balloon backdrop for your photo booth which will wow your guests!

But before you rush out and buy hundreds of balloons, here are a few practical tips to guarantee success…

Choose the right balloons for the space: The most important thing when creating the perfect balloon backdrop is to choose the right balloons. If you want to create a lot of impact without using hundreds of balloons, make sure you get a variety of balloons in different shapes and sizes. Using different textures by combining foil balloons with latex balloons gives increased depth to the backdrop. If you go for foil balloons, then getting a selection of different kinds of balloons in different colours can also pack a lot of punch.

Get enough helium: Do not underestimate how much helium you will need particularly if you are using large latex balloons. A large 36inch latex balloon needs a whopping 15 cubic feet of helium (a whole F50 canister!). Make sure you work out exactly how much helium you will need when you purchase the balloons. If you have a large number of balloons then it may well be more cost effective to rent a large helium canister from a local party store.

Use a backdrop:Using a backdrop behind your balloons again helps to add more depth to the backdrop and cover any gaps you may have (so you can get away with less balloons). Silver or black material works really well.

Secure your balloons: Make sure you have plenty of weights, ribbon and glue dots. Start with the largest balloons – add a large amount of ribbon and attach it to a weight (you want plenty of ribbon so you can adjust it to get the right height). When you’re happy, use a pair of scissors to curl the ends of the ribbon. Then move onto your small balloons, which you can attach to the strings of the larger balloons and secure with additional weights if you need to. Once you have your balloons at the right height, use the glue dots to fix the balloons together so they stay in position and don’t spin around (at least until the champagne is flowing and your guests start playing with the balloons!)

This blog was featured on Rock My Wedding.  The photo is from Vinnie & Aisha’s wedding, courtesy of Elly Lucas of E L Hitched