Saturday, 18 January 2014

Balloon Arches Make Any Party Room Prettier

By Judy Sullivan


Parties and other special events can be brightened up with the whimsical fun of balloon arches. A simple way to beautify any entrance or stage, people have the option of either hiring a professional party decorator to set these delightful arrangements up, or they can do it themselves since it is not difficult or expensive to make.

They are a versatile decoration that can be custom-made to suit any type of occasion simply by the choice of colors of balloons used and extra details added on. High-school proms, parade floats, and wedding receptions are just a few examples of places where they look great. Normally, they are not expensive to construct, and take about an hour or less to make.

High quality latex balloons should be used, since they are less likely to leak or break. Three or four balloons for each foot of arch are typically needed, one color alone can be used, or a pattern of multicolored balloons can be formed for a particular occasion like Valentine's Day, or Halloween. It's a good idea to buy more balloons than less, as some are bound to break.

Either helium or regular air can be used to fill balloons. Helium does not last as long, since it slowly leaks out, but should be fine if the arch is needed for less than 24 hours. All balloons should be blown up to the same size and the size of the balloons used should be determined by how big the arch is.

The location of the arch will need to be measured to determine the total length it should be. When the height and width of the space are equal, the arch length needs to be 1/2 the width plus the height. In a case where the location is wider than tall, add the height and width, and if it's taller than wide, add the width to the height multiplied by two.

If working with helium balloons, these can be tied onto a piece of fishing line that is placed along the intended site for the arch in the pattern which is desired, a task most easily done by two people. The balloon chain will gradually start to lift off the ground as it's formed. Or, another approach is to tie balloons to each other in twos, and then attach another pair to make a cluster of four.

Making a frame can be done easily using PVC pipes to forms the sides of the arch and a curved piece of aluminum rod at the top, these can be fastened together with electrical tape. The balloons, whether on a string, or in clusters can now be attached onto this framework in the pattern of choice. Once the whole frame is covered, it should be weighted down with sand bags or bricks placed discreetly behind the lowest balloons on the arch.

Lastly, the arch should be wired down to the doorframe, wall, ceiling, or nearby furnishings. As a nice finishing touch, one may wish to intertwine streamers, flowers, ribbons, or tiny decorative lights to the arch, however caution must be taken with lights that they don't touch balloons arches and make them burst.




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