Grad Party Balloons
Jennifer’s son Owen was graduating from Detroit Catholic Central High School’s class of 2022, and had reached out to me in January regarding some decorations for his outdoor graduation party in White Lake, Michigan in the middle of June.
Jennifer said that she wanted to focus mostly on Detroit Catholic Central High School’s Colors: Blue and White, and that additionally she wanted some black accents. She wanted decorations around her pool. She wanted graduation decorations in the garage. She wanted balloons on the tent in the driveway. And she wanted balloons out on the front porch for a photo backdrop.
If you’ve worked with me before: you might know that I send a questionnaire beforeI send prices. My questionnaire will usually go over a few things: do you want your balloons installed on portions of the property or do you want to rent frames from us to have them installed on? Do you want your balloons to be indoors or outdoors? If your balloons will be outdoors, how much sun exposure will there be on those balloons during the time of installation until the end of your event? (This can affect what colors we suggest - a lot of sunlight can mean we don’t want to use any chrome balloons or dark colors like black, sangria, evergreen, or navy) If your balloons will be indoors, what will the lighting be like during your event? Will your indoor event have windows with natural sunlight? Normal overhead fluorescent lighting? Dimmed lights for the entirety of an evening event with pink uplighting? If your balloons are in the sunshine the entire event from a window: we run into the same issues as having them outside in the direct sunlight. If we have the balloons in the dimmed light with pink uplighting, I’m going to remind you it’s going to be better to add lights within your balloons.
This questionnaire may seem daunting and annoying…
but it’s equally annoying for me to text or call people and repeat these 15 questions 10-50 times a day (the number of inquiries I Get a day) Plus: I have two small children and when I’m “punched out” by dinner time, with my family for the evening - getting these text messages from people:
“Hi I got your questionnaire, but it’s so hard. Can’t i just text you can get prices?”
<insert the world’s smallest violin emoji here>
This is beyond annoying. My daughters will even say to me “Mom, can you stop looking at your phone and pay attention to me?” Like, break my heart, kiddo.
People sometimes do not respect that I’m a human being.
so if it’s all answered quickly in a form for me, I can refer back to it and make my recommendations for my clients faster. (whoa, crazy)
After looking through Jennifer’s exquisitely, detailed, filled out forms, that had photos of her entire yard, pool, garage, and front porch: I felt confident in exactly what I needed to offer for her that was all within her budget.
Our plan was to install an organic half arch on the front porch for a photo backdrop: this was her biggest wish and where she wanted to put most of her money. Then Jennifer wanted balloons on the front of the tent that was going to be delivered for the driveway. This was going to be the tent where the guests at the grad party would sit and eat - so the balloons couldn’t be too puddly and in the way, since people had to get around them. Jennifer wanted some color in the garage: so we offered some balloon columns in the garage to add some color in there. And finally, since there were going to be so many people in the backyard near the lake, swimming in the pool: she definitely wanted balloons around the pool area. This is where I always suggest topiaries.
Topiaries are these cute little tufts of balloons: we can install these onto practically anything we can get our hands around and tie them onto. Topiaries are a low-cost, budget-friendly option for balloons. Topiaries also give the illusion of helium.
Check out some topiaries below from a few other grad parties we decorated this summer:
It was hard to think about being outdoors in the summer on a hot day when I finalized this booking on a cold January day. It’s crazy when I’m booking events 6 months or a year out sometimes and I have to picture what the weather will be like that day compared to what is happening in the present. I shudder thinking about bringing in loads of balloons in the freezing cold, and then I have to talk myself out of it: “It’s winter now, but it will be summer by then and it’ll be hot”
when Jess and I arrived on-site to install the balloon decor in White Lake that super sunny day in June:
we had a problem immediately
The tent that was delivered in Jennifer’s driveway was WAY bigger than what she thought she ordered. It completely took over the front driveway. Not only this: but the trees and the bushes in the front yard had grown a lot more than they normally do in the summer, she said. (Our yard did this too - maybe it is climate change?)
We knew: the half arch would be completely lost on the front porch; no one would see it, no one would know to stop and take photos with it, and we DEFINITELY don't want that (and I definitely don't want anyone to feel like they've spent their money with me and didn’t get what they wanted out of it (and then some - I aim to overdeliver))
Jess and I spoke to Jennifer about this and asked her if we could install this piece somewhere else that would get more attention. She was flexible (LOVE that) and said
"Wherever you think it will work!"
We knew the party would be in the tent out front, food would be in the garage, and that everyone would be in the backyard swimming in the pool by the lake.
Jess and I walked the property for about 5 minutes and assessed how large the garland was that we'd built for the porch, and where it would fit. It was extremely windy on this day too: and we have a LOT of tools with us in our truck pretty much having us ready for anything. The only tool I did NOT pack that day was my 8ft ladder - I only had my 4ft step ladder. I usually don’t need my bigger ladder unless I’m getting up on a ceiling. We were however only in White Lake, and my studio is in West Bloomfield, which is about 15 minutes away, and Thomas was at home with our daughters, probably all still in pajamas. So we had a slight wind restriction, and a potential height restriction: but we COULD call in Thomas for back-up if we needed him to bring the ladder out to us.
We narrowed it down to two options:
installing the balloons on the ceiling of the tent, so that they appeared to be floating above everyone or on this big oak tree in the backyard.
Jess and I agreed those two spots would be best. we decided to discuss these two options while we installed the rest of the decor.
I like to handle my balloon installations from hard to easy.
Usually if there is something brand new that we’ve never installed before, or something I’ve done a few times before and know that things can go wrong pretty easily with one or two factors being slightly off: I like to get these balloon pieces done and out of the way.
Then I’m not pushing it to the wire and doing the harder thing up until the very last minute, running out of time, and possibly not having time to get photos.
Going from hard to easy also works well when I’m working with Thomas and/or Jess: we have a good idea how long each element will take us to install, and if I look at the clock and I see that we’ve gone too over on this harder piece I can quickly kick Jess or Thomas off of it and delegate them to the easy tasks “Go grab the columns out of the truck and set them over there” etc.
It’s a good idea to time yourself when you’re on-site installing any piece of balloon decor.
Note how much faster you work when you install this piece of balloon decor with a partner or two - this can help you efficiently book your balloon delivery SCHEDULE, and schedule yourself more events in a day.
I handle installing with the team a little differently: we usually split up and handle everything separately. I’ll usually take the hard thing right away and have thomas and Jess handle installing all of the other fast things like balloon columns, topiaries, or a classic spiral balloon arch. Then when they finish: if I’m still working on the hard thing they can come over and help me out.
A quick note about how I install onto the exterior of tents:
I use a combination of zipties, 260 balloons, 350 balloons, and C clamps to put balloons on tents.
I saw a Reel on Instagram by the Bright Balloon. She talked about putting balloons on a tent using magnets.
I’m going to tell you right now: don’t use magnets outside. Ever.
don’t ever use magnets outdoors to install your balloons.
I learned this the hard way. I installed this organic half balloon arch on the front porch in Howell for a grad party in 2021. I had taken a workshop earlier that week on “outdoor balloon decor” and Based on the training from the instructor, that I paid: they taught us to install balloons using magnets outdoors.
The method they went over is GREAT for indoors: get a piece of painters tape, place a strip on the wall where you want your rig point to be, get a washer from Lowe’s Depot, put the washer on top of this painters tape, then take packaging tape and tape the washer into place flat against the wall (putting the packaging tape directly on top of the painters tape, so as to not cause damage to the wall) NOW you have a rig point for a clik magnet to stick to.
Amazing!
SO I did this magnet technique.
The client called me about 30 minutes after I left and said:
“the balloons fell off of the porcH and are just hanging off the side”
I panicked a little bit because I felt Awful. I told her I’d be Right there to fix it. (And Thank GOODNESS I happened to only be 5 minutes down the road visiting my dad, who happens to live in Howell, and was able to return to their home and fix the balloons, and that I wasn’t 30 minutes west of there almost back to West Bloomfield)
that the client was SO forgiving about it - I mean it was still about 4 hours before their party started - that they still wrote me a 5 star review so, I guess they weren’t that upset)
The method that the Bright Balloon, Sara Meyer, discusses in her Reel on Instagram regarding installing balloons on tents outside is a little too risky for me. I’m not saying that she’s wrong: It’s actually how I install balloons on my circle frame though: I use my clik magnets through my backdrops and create rig points for my balloons that way.
Back to what I think is the best method for installing balloons onto a tent outdoor…(or how I put balloons on the outside of a tent)
I use 260s or 350s around the exposed poles if I can: and it’s really important that I get get around the pole at least twice, and through my balloon cluster in at least 2 different spots. Zip Ties are great too: but you have to be REALLY careful getting into your balloon cluster. Then on the top of the tent where the fabric falls: I’ll use a C Clamp. C Clamps are such an underrated method for installations in a balloon decorator’s toolbox! I used C Clamps ALL the time. I put the C Clamps onto the front of the tent, around the pole, squeezing the vinyl around the pole in the clamp until I can’t possibly tighten it anymore. I’ll pull on it like crazy to make sure it’s ON there. This gives me a rig point up high where I can tie a 260 or a 350 balloon (I tie my 260s onto the C Clamp or onto the tightener since I can get 2 rig points out of one clamp)
I digress… what is this? A recipe blog?
As Jess and I put our C clamps on the tent, and tied our 260s onto them to prep it for the organic balloon arch: we weighed the pros and cons for the two installation spots for the other organic garland built and waiting in the delivery van.
Installing it on the ceiling of the tent would look really cool:
the balloons would look like clouds!
But… we’d have to cut the already assembled garland up into chunks and it was WINDY. This tent didn’t have the steel cable down the center, which we can use as a magnetic anchor: so we’d also have to create rig points throughout the tent. The tent was already fully decorated with the tables, chairs, linens, and centerpieces: we’d have to move everything out of our way to get the balloons up there.
Installing it on the tree could be tricky:
how pokey is this tree? How high will the balloons go into the tree, and will we need to call Thomas to bring us a ladder? Will Thomas be able to get here fast enough with said ladder after we’ve called him? (Sometimes getting a 3 year old and a 5 year old out the door is a chore!) What’s the best way to rig the balloons onto the tree? BUT the tree would be in the shade all day long and all evening long. AND…
the whole purpose of these balloons going on the porch was for people to take photos with it - this tree would definitely be in a spot where people could take photos
(and the sun wouldn’t be in people’s eyes for the photos and they wouldn’t be squinting in the photos (which is a huge thing for me because I squint big time in photos))
We completed the remainder of the installation and with about 90 minutes to spare until the party started, we began on the tree.
We used zip-ties to create giant rig points around the tree, all the way around the trunk, moving our way up. Then we used our 260s to tie these rig points in… and just started to weave our balloons onto it.
The tree was on a pretty steep hill (it doesn’t look like it from the photos), so that slowed us down a little bit on the step-ladder, and the wind definitely slowed us down because the balloons were whipping everywhere. We got as high as we could around the tree until we realized we were going to be at a point where we couldn’t reach any higher without the ladder… and we phoned in… Batman… I mean, Thomas.
We kept working on the tree as far as we could while we waited about 20 minutes for him to get there, and he came, in his uniform and all! Jess ran out to my minivan (Vanny DeVito) and sat in it with my 2 daughters while Thomas and I finished installing the balloons onto the tree.
Everything came out amazing.
just a quick note here: The fact that the wall in the garage doesn’t say “Congrats Grad” or “Class of 2022” but instead it says “We are so proud of you” - Let me just say that it made me cry… because for whatever reason, that is just way better.
Quick Shout out to Thyme & Honey who happened to be creating a majestic Charcuterie & Grazing Table. We literally had to STOP what we were doing with a handful of balloons to look at this display. It was absolutely BEAUTIFUL. I was a little sad we weren't offered a taste - but hey, we didn't pay for a taste ;) But I do know who I'm calling to create a table like this for my next party, and who I'm referring my clients to when they are looking for something absolutely BEAUTIFUL and I'm guessing DELICIOUS.
When I came back to teardown all of the balloons on Father’s Day in the morning: everything STILL looked amazing - especially the balloons in the tree.
Not a single balloon popped outdoors overnight on a hot summer day.
The client was so happy with our balloons that she of course left us a 5 star review.
Why is it worth investing in the Rockin Robot Party Co to do balloons for your event? Why wouldn't you just do it yourself, have a friend or family member do it, or hire someone cheaper?
The 12 years of experience we have from doing 300+ events per year have prepared us for practically ANY hiccup that might come up on-site during an installation.
The hiccups that we've come across over the years (that you, your family member, friend, or that low-price artist has not yet) has expanded our toolbox SO large that we're ready to change ⚙️ gears ⚙️at ANY moment on-site and allows US to ensure that your money is WELL SPENT and you're getting the MOST bang for YOUR buck (and your photos)
This is why having the Rockin' Robots decorate your event is worth every penny:
flexibility, quick thinking, and creativity.
These are some of our top qualities!
Book your grad party with the Rockin' Robot Party Co for exceptional quality by clicking the link below. The Rockin' Robots serve Detroit, West Bloomfield, and all of Southeast Michigan.
See you next summer!
