Over the past year, The Great Inflator has had the pleasure of helping our clients celebrate some of their biggest milestones. From engagements, to weddings, to anniversaries, to birthdays, to graduations, we’ve seen it all.
Now, it’s our turn to celebrate three major milestones. In addition to recognizing our first anniversary in business, we’re celebrating as balloon artist Audrey prepares to welcome the newest addition to her family…and adding two new additions to our own little balloon family!
Audrey has been working with new balloon artists Calley and Chelsea for several weeks now, and this past weekend they got to work their very first job as a team, setting up a stunning custom balloon garland for a bridal shower at Maggio’s Restaurant & Ballroom in Southampton, PA.
Taking Charge
Calley was the first to join Audrey on the team, and has already assisted Audrey on a large first birthday party install in January. After taking some balloons home to practice, and discussing the ins and outs of how a job is done, it was time for Calley to take the lead on her very first installation!
She started out by connecting with the client – in this case, the mother of the bride – to discuss the event, décor, and her vision for color palettes and garland design. We always work closely with our clients to make sure we’re delivering exactly what they’ve dreamed up.
This particular job presented two challenges which put Calley’s customer service and problem solving skills to excellent use.
The Perfect Colors
When the client first sent her desired color palette, she asked for peach, pink, white, gold, champagne, and eucalyptus balloons. We sent the requested colors for approval, along with two shades of pink we thought might work well with the look.
Once she saw the requested colors, the client realized she wanted to tweak the palette. She chose to stick with the white and gold, and to add both shades of pink. However, the eucalyptus balloons just didn’t quite match with the blueish shade that was vital to the look. After all, it was the color of several decorations, incorporated in the invitations, and was even the color of the bridesmaids’ dresses!
Since we only purchase the highest quality balloons, we set to work hunting through our professional wholesale balloon sites to find the perfect match for this beautiful shade. We finally found it in a color called Blue Slate, made by Tuftex.
Calley sent the new color to the client, and she knew right away it was the perfect match. With our updated color palette approved, it was time to address the next issue: where the garland was to be installed.
Which Wall Will We Work With?
The mother of the bride had rented a stunning flower wall for her daughter’s bridal shower. Her hope was to hang the balloon garland on the flower wall, framing one side of it. The bride and her groom would sit in front of the wall while opening presents.
However, the vendor providing the wall was concerned that the method used to hang the balloons might damage the wall.
In most cases, we might say that’s no big deal and we can just hang the garland on the venue wall behind the floral backdrop. However, it was unclear if the venue would allow us to adhere anything to their ballroom walls. Many venues have policies which do not allow for anything to be placed on walls, even wall-safe painter’s tape.
Fortunately, we’ve reviewed multiple methods for hanging garlands during our training. We were able to guarantee zero damage to the wall, using a technique that utilizes binder clips and 260 balloons to attach the balloons to any surface without using any sticky materials.
Getting To Work
With all of the hurdles surpassed, it was time to meet up and start assembling the garland. Calley met up with Audrey and our newest hire, Chelsea, to work on inflating the balloons. This was the perfect opportunity for both artists to ask questions and run ideas by Audrey, who supervised the assembly of the garland base.
On the day of the install, the team met in the parking lot of Maggio’s, and helped Chelsea bring her balloons and kit into the venue. While Audrey helped inflate accent balloons and provide guidance where needed, Calley and Chelsea tackled the main task of getting the garland hung up and tweaking it as needed to make it look just right.
The highlight of the day was when Calley added one final balloon to the garland. Chelsea and Audrey were standing back and observing, and immediately knew that final touch had made the garland complete.
Chelsea was beyond excited to have completed her very first install, and the end result brought the mother of the bride to tears. Talk about a show-stopper of a garland!
We’re so excited to have Calley and Chelsea join our team of talented balloon artists. Keep an eye out in the coming months for more stunning installations by both of these talented women!
Calley
Calley was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio and now calls Medford, NJ home with her husband and 2 girls. She believe in celebrating life and finds such joy in helping create memories for our clients!
Chelsea
A lifelong resident of Burlington County, NJ, Chelsea takes pride in working within her community. She enjoys the opportunity to bring magic and creativity to any style of event.
