Balloon Garland Do-It-Yourself vs. Professional: What We Learned Making Hundreds of Them
Balloon garlands are everywhere right now — Pinterest, Instagram, every party venue's photo wall. They look simple enough: just a bunch of balloons in a row, right?
Well, we've made hundreds of them at PlayLab, and we've also watched plenty of parents attempt the DIY route first. I remember one couple who made their own the night before, and they told me it was so frustrating that they almost got divorced. (They were joking- I think?)
Here's an honest comparison of both, so you can decide which makes sense for your party.
What DIY actually involves
If you're making your own balloon garland, here's what you’re in for:
60–90 balloons, in varying sizes, depending on the length you want.
Buying the right colors and amounts, getting them in time.
An electric power inflator. This is highly recommended— inflating that many balloons by mouth will take you most of an afternoon and will not go well. Save your lungs! The hand pumps can work too, but again… this is is up to 90 balloons…
A couple of hours of assembly time, potentially, especially the first time you do this and are trying to figure it out.
Transporting it yourself. A finished garland can take up your entire back seat or trunk, and balloons shift and shift during the drive
A few things we've learned the hard way, if you do go the DIY route:
Don't over-inflate the balloons — overinflated ones are more likely to pop randomly during setup or during the party itself. I personally don’t think the aesthetic look is as good when they’re blown up too large- they lose that globe/ball shape.
For the love of God, please skip the perforated plastic strip tape that comes in most garland kits. Don’t even look directly at it. Just throw it in the trash or set it on fire. It looks like the easy option, but balloons tend to pop out of place and eject themselves from the garland. Use a long, skinny balloon to tie clusters together instead — it's more secure and honestly not much harder.
Build it as close to your event as possible — balloons slowly deflate, so a garland built two days ahead will look noticeably different by party time. I’d do it the night before, but not the day of, since it may take longer than you expect.
What professional (in-house) actually costs
We charge $20 per foot, and most garlands run 6–8 feet, so a typical custom garland runs $120–$160, in any color combination you want. It's built and set up before you arrive — no inflator, no assembly, no transport, no risk of a half-deflated garland by the time your guests show up.
When DIY makes sense
If you enjoy this kind of project, have a free evening, and aren't precious about a slightly imperfect result, go for it — plenty of parents do it successfully, and there's something satisfying about a garland you made yourself. They can be pretty fun to create!
When professional makes sense
If you're already juggling the rest of the party planning, want a specific color palette done right, or want to take one more thing off your plate, this is exactly the kind of task worth handing off.
Want us to handle it?
We make custom balloon garlands in-house in any color combination — just let us know what you're picturing when you book, and it'll be set up and waiting for you when you walk in. You can even tell us fairly last minute- like the week of you party, and we can probably do it!
Browse the full Party Store for garlands and other add-ons, or email events@goplaylab.com with questions.
