Have something to celebrate? Hopefully, we all will have lots of happy gatherings with those we love this year. Whether your’e decorating for a birthday party, baby shower, or a holiday, there’s no better way to add a splash of color and a huge impact than with balloons! These DIY balloon arch ideas are easy to make, inexpensive, and a super fun way to make whatever you are celebrating full of magic and special memories.
You can learn how to make your own balloon arch, DIY balloon garlands, and even make balloon arch stands to save you tons of money on decorating for your next party. So pick your poison! Rose gold balloon arch? Rainbow? Black & white party? Customize the look to your event, and get planning to have the most gorgeous graduation, backyard wedding, anniversary, work party or family get-together yet!
How to Make a DIY Balloon Arch
Before we dive into the amazing balloon arch ideas we’ve found, let’s take a step back. There are lots of different ways you can make a balloon arch, and ultimately it comes down to the types of materials you want to use and how you envision your project turning out. One thing to note- since you’re creating a frame or stand to hold the balloons up, you don’t need to worry about getting helium balloons!
Making a Balloon Arch with Chicken Wire
One of the most common ways to make a balloon arch is with chicken wire. There are a few different ways to do this, and I won’t dive into the details here because several of the projects we’ll show you later in the article give you a much better idea of how this works.
Making a Balloon Arch with Plastic Balloon Strips
Don’t love the chicken wire idea? You can also use a plastic balloon strip or “balloon tape” to create your arch. These are long, thin strips (like tape, but not sticky) with holes for each of your balloons to sit in. They’re an easy way of creating a neat string of balloons, and you can’t see the strip itself once you have all the balloons in place.
Balloon Arch Kits: Are They Cheating?
Using a balloon arch kit is 100% not cheating! After all, it’s exactly what they’re designed for! These kits might be a bit more expensive than the DIY balloon arch stand you can make with chicken wire, but they are so convenient, and contain everything you need to make the perfect balloon arch.
DIY Balloon Arch with Chicken Wire
As I mentioned, chicken wire is one of the cheapest, easiest, and most popular ways to create a balloon arch stand. These projects all use chicken wire – and they all look amazing! Follow the tutorial of your favorite design to create the perfect balloon arch for your next celebration.
Free Form Balloon Arch Guide
This first tutorial comes to us from “The House That Lars Built” and is a great primer on how to make a balloon arch using chicken wire, tape or a low temp glue gun, and fishing wire. One of their top tips? Invest in an electric balloon pump! They aren’t expensive and they will be invaluable since you have to blow up, oh, I don’t know, a bazillion balloons? 🙂 They also have an easy to follow how-to video! This is stunning!
More Chicken Wire Balloon Arch Ideas
This guide from “Hooray!” (who knows a thing or two about celebrating) showcases some stunning balloon arch inspo. They’ve found some stunning visuals of balloon arches and included the steps for creating your own once you’ve decided on your shape and color scheme. It’s a great tutorial if you already have a vague idea of what you’re trying to create!
Huge DIY Balloon Arch!
There’s no such thing as too many balloons! At least, that’s certainly what the team at “Making Things is Awesome” believes. This DIY balloon arch stand is made of chicken wire, clear packing tape, and almost 200 balloons! Now THAT’S a celebration. The end result is a DIY balloon arch for a birthday party that completes the party decor all on its own!
DIY Balloon Arch Stands Without Chicken Wire
Don’t want to use chicken wire? No problem – there are plenty of other ways to make a balloon arch stand! These tutorials will give you some fresh, wire-free ideas, and they’re just as simple as (or even easier than) the chicken wire versions!
Easy DIY Balloon Arch
Here is a way to make a DIY balloon arch without chicken wire! From ‘Priscilla Locke’, this idea makes for a bit more flexible project. Using plastic craft needles and fishing line, you can hang this one as an arch, or use it as a balloon garland as well! It’s all in how you hang and arrange the balloons. She has a great tip for how to tie on all the balloons without ending up with fingers that look like it.
Here’s a helpful tip, too- notice how she incorporates lots of smaller balloons alongside larger balloons? That can really help complete the look and add dimension. While I love the look of different colors, sticking with one dominant color for a monochrome look like this one really creates a big impact!
Balloon Arch Ideas with Flowers
This balloon arch idea with faux flowers is a perfect wedding decoration! Find step by step directions at ‘Green Wedding Shoes’. They used silk flowers, so you don’t have to worry about flowers wilting in the heat, etc… Also check out our post on how to make paper roses over at TBD!
Rainbow Balloon Arch
Make a DIY rainbow balloon arch with this easy tutorial from ‘Paisley & Sparrow’. She uses a balloon strip as a base to create hers. It’s basically a store bought version of the chicken wire. And once again, she strongly recommends the electric pump!
DIY Balloon Arches vs Garlands
We’ve mostly discussed balloon arches until now, but there’s also another option if you’re looking to go big with balloons: making a DIY balloon garland. Garlands and arches are often described as if they’re the same, but technically, an arch has a framework (usually made from chicken wire) while a garland just sort of hangs, and needs to be attached to something (usually your ceiling). If you don’t have the space for an arch, or you think a garland would look better, here are some ideas.
DIY Simple Balloon Arch Garland
Rachel from “Maison de Pax” has a great step-by-step tutorial for how to make your own balloon garland. This one uses small balloons to drape over the top of your celebration, in the same way paper streamers might. But this is way more fun and festive than boring old streamers!
DIY Balloon Garland
Jump on over to ‘The House of Hood’ to find out how to make a variety of sizes and shapes of DIY balloon garlands. In this cool idea, they used some confetti balloons as a countdown for New Years!
Outdoor DIY Balloon Arch Ideas
For summer celebrations, outdoor balloon arches are the way to go. You can spruce up any space and add a festive atmosphere with an outdoor DIY balloon arch! Just be aware that your balloons typically won’t last as long in the sunshine – they tend to wrinkle after a day or so. If possible, it’s best to prepare these ones on the morning of your celebration or the night before at the earliest.
Circle DIY Balloon Arch Stand
Make a circle balloon arch stand with this easy idea from ‘Leanne Choi’. Made from PVC pipe, this is a great idea for a DIY wedding balloon arch. This is way less expensive to make than it is to buy or even rent. This would also be a great choice for making a photo backdrop as well.
DIY Balloon Arch for Front Door
What better way to welcome guests to your celebration than with a bright balloon arch hanging over the front door?! This stunning design from “A Beautiful Mess” can be customized to suit your theme or color scheme, and is the perfect way to get the party started!
Outdoor DIY Balloon Arch for the 4th of July
On a tight balloon arch budget? Then this is the project for you! From “So Festive,” this balloon arch comes together for under $20, but you wouldn’t know it! Love the 4th of July colors they’re going with here, but you can customize this arch to suit any celebration or occasion.
Elevate Your Next Celebration With These DIY Balloon Arch Ideas!
Hopefully you found a balloon arch idea that is perfect for your celebration! Ready to party? Don’t forget to check out our posts on Rustic DIY Wedding Decor, Halloween party ideas, and DIY Backyard Games over at TGG!
