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How long before a birthday party should a balloon arch be made?

by Byanca
(Inglewood, CA)

I am asking how long before because I am wondering if it can be made the night before or should it be made the day of the party? I'm making it myself and trying to figure out how much time I need.

ANSWER

Hi Byanca,

This depends on what type of balloon arch you are going to make.

If it's a helium filled arch, like a String-of-Pearl Arch, it's best to do the arch on the day of the birthday party.

Helium filled latex balloons only float well for about 10 to 12 hours. If you want to do your helium-filled arch the night before the event, I highly recommend you treat your balloons with hi-float.

If you are planning to do an air-filled arch, then it's fine to create the arch the day before.

Hope that helps! Good luck with decorating the birthday party.

Best,
Margit

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Reply to Janet: Balloon Arch for Graduation Party
by: Margit

Hi Janet,

If you've never done this before, then purchasing a complete kit may be the easiest solution.

An air-filled balloon arch with a frame is ideal because you can put it together the day before the event.

At Amazon you can get a balloon arch kit complete with stands, metal frame and instructions. The arch is about 10 feet (ca. 3 m) wide and 9 feet (ca. 2.75 m) tall - so definitely big enough for 2 people to walk through.

This kit does not include the balloons.

Good luck with the graduation!

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Arch for graduation
by: Janet

I may do an arch for the seniors to walk through for graduation. Do I need a kit to do that? It needs to look good for at least 6 hours - how do I make that possible? Can I do it the night before with just air? How wide do I need it for 2 people to walk through at once?

Lots of questions!

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Reply to Natalie
by: Margit

Hi Natalie,

I don't think the balloons would deflate unless there was a change in temperature. If the air cools down, the balloons may shrink a bit, and if it gets warmer they would expand.

The main reason why you should store your air-filled balloons in plastic bags is that latex balloons oxidize when in contact with air. They lose their nice shiny surface.

So the best way to do this is to inflate the balloons, store them in tightly shut plastic bags and assemble the arch on the day of the event.

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Storing the arch
by: Natalie Nelms

If I made my balloon arch the evening prior to the event. Air filled.
How would I store it? I’ve read if you do not cover air filled balloons in a plastic bag they lose their shape and deflate a bit.
Thank you

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