5 Helpful Tips for Decorating a Party Venue

Candyland Balloon Decorations with Styrocrafts and Clown for Zaira’s 1st Birthday at AA’s Barbeque Guadalupe

Decorating a venue is fun and easy. All it takes is some gut to do the things you want for the event and some basic knowledge on how to decorate the place. Beautifying a place is simple but it takes time, money and effort to make an awe-inspiring scene. We have been in the events industry for some time but we can say that we still have a lot to learn and discover. We hope that the more seasoned decorators, those who are 10, 15 years or more in the industry, can add to this blog so we can also learn their tricks on how to make a party venue awesome. Be it a Christening, Kiddie Party or Debut, these few helpful tips below will surely make your function room’s ambiance become great.

Pink & Purple Balloon Decoration for 80th Birthday at Quest Hotel

1. Always stick to the color combination – If you want (or your client wants) Pink and Purple be sure you stick to the color motif. White is always a great addition to any combination, but limit it to a desirable amount. There are people who are strict with color schemes so ask first if it is Baby Pink (Lighter) or Fuchsia (Darker) or you can use both. Being certain with your color set will surely make your decorating faster and more appropriate to the theme. Accent colors can be good and lovely if it blends well with the color combination of the theme. You can check some of our balloon designs or decors by theme if it is a Yay or a Nay and you can get your decor ideas from it.

Ceiling Balloons with Celebrant’s Pictures

2. Be extra careful when using duct tapes and packaging tapes – masking tape is preferred – Most of the time, using duct tapes can do the job for you when decorating the venue. It has a tougher hold compared to the scotch tape and masking tape. In some cases, when parents of the celebrant are the ones decorating the venue, they use duct tapes or masking tapes to secure everything – tarp, stick balloons, ceiling balloons, flower vases, etc. This can look fine during the event celebration but after the party, it will surely be a mess. Removing duct tapes requires a lot of time and effort. Sometimes the paint is removed or the stick-on material of the tape will remain. If the paint of the activity area is damaged because of the sticky tape that you pasted, you will surely pay for it after your event. So if you do not want trouble, be sure to ask the manager or venue coordinator first what kind of tapes that they allow – most of the time, they only allow masking tape, the same tape used by painters to separate colors when painting a wall or ceiling. By getting the services of an experienced balloon decorator, you will surely save yourself from the trouble caused by damaging parts of the venue.

Wedding Setup at Margarita Family Cuisine in 2012

3. Ceiling drapes takes time and extra work force – For the more experienced stylist, decorating the ceiling will only take 1-2 hours but for the newbie, it can take 3-4 hours. For a full ceiling setup that includes cloth, pompoms, balloons, etc, it can take 5 hours if you have a seasoned decorator but if you do it yourself, it will take you longer. The reason why balloon shops and event stylist are pricing this service at a higher rate compared to your estimation is that it requires a lot of effort to climb the ladder, beautify the ceiling and check it a hundred times if it looks fine. If you want to do it by yourself, start with ceiling swags (or a few cloths) and finish it. If you and your partner have more time to decorate, you can then add the pompoms and lanterns in the middle part, and then your extra time will be for the addition of the balloons.

Mark & Lai at SM-Cebu (Balloon Columns)

4. Decorating early is OK but be sure you are allowed – Going to the venue at a very early time will surely give you extra hours to spend for your decoration. Just be sure you informed the manager ahead of time that you would be there early to start beautifying the place. You can also inform them if it is fine to go there the night before so you will have enough time to rest and enjoy the party the following day. There are days that you are not allowed to decorate the place early because there is still an on-going event. Parties that start at 11am or 12nn usually ends at 3pm. The staffs will then clean the place and you can only start decorating at 4pm. What if the party starts at 5pm? So be sure to plan ahead of time to make everything right. Inform the venue coordinator about your plan so you can have a “Plan B”, if you need any. Availing the services of an experienced Balloon Decorator can be your last resort. It can only take them 30 minutes to convert the venue into a more festive environment.

Kung Fu Panda Theme Decoration Package at Ellen’s Garden

5. Outdoor venues can be extremely frustrating – Yes, some outdoor venues look good on pictures after it is decorated by balloons, flowers, etc but only because pictures are “still” or the objects are not moving. Decorating an outdoor venue can be punishing because of the heat of the sun and, most of the time, the strong winds that can easily carry the lightweight balloons and flowers. When decorating an outdoor party place, use heavier objects such as vases, frames, glass, etc. If you really like a balloon decoration or styro backdrop, make sure you use a sturdy metal stand to support the things that you are putting as decoration. You can also use fishing lines (nylon) to stabilize the balloon pillars and tightly secure the balloons on sticks in place. Flying balloons can be easily decorated but just be careful because this might hit someone who is puffing a cigar and it can blow to his face because it is inflated with hydrogen. To avoid the frustration, you can ask the help of some friends who have done it. If you avail the services of a balloon shop, be sure to prepare extra cash as some of them charge for the rental of the metal stands and the payment for the pullout of the items.

These are just 5 helpful tips for decorating a venue – you may be a balloon shop owner/decorator or a parent who wants to decorate his/her child’s party. You can ask us your questions below and we will answer it during our free time. You might also be interested to read our 7 Safety Tips for Balloon Decorators to avoid the possible dangers that might happen to you.