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Our reception is being held in a big white tent on the deck of a restaurant. While it will be decorated and lit by strings of white lights, I was worried that it would still be too white from about 8 feet and up. When I was originally planning I loved these pictures (from MS Weddings and The Knot respectively):
We have bought about 24 bright pink paper lanterns to hang throughout the tent, but I am still worried that it won’t be quite enough colour. I can’t afford to cover the place with lanterns so now I am thinking about having light pink helium balloons put in each peak (there will be 6 peaks) of the tent with brown ribbons hanging down like so:
I am hoping that because they are so high up they will add colour but not be too noticeable. What do you think, will it look cheap?
I think it would look neat. I doubt anyone would look closely enough to see that they are balloons and not lanterns. Maybe if you add something at the end of the ribbon (the end closest to the floor) it would look a bit more substancial (sp?).
I think it will look cute, great idea! The brown ribbon makes it look more sophisticated.
I think that will look really gorgeous, especially if you have a lot of them–I can just see the ribbons swaying in the breeze above your guests. I also think you can avoid the tack factor by having nice ribbons, like a two sided satin that would provide a different texture against the tent and balloons.
i like the lantern idea (i’m going to have lanterns at my wedding)
you should hang satin ribbons in between the lantern
not sure what your colors are but if you have bright pink lantern you can use lighter shades of pink
i don’t recommend ballons because it can inflat and shrink up
my florist told me that some of his clients wants ballon as their centerpiece he always tell them know because of that reason
I actually like balloons, especially if they’re nice ones. See if you can get pretty pearlized ones, I know they exist. However, I don’t like the brown ribbon. It looks…odd to me, that dark brown ribbon hanging from a light pink balloon. It looks too heavy, somehow, and balloons should be light. Besides, you don’t *have* to have everything in your colors. In fact, I think it’s better to hold back a bit on that, as too “matchy-matchy” can look amateurish. IMHO.
I dont know - it can be a fine line between cute and tacky - IMO, balloons at weddings are no-nos, unless it’s a balloon artist for the kids. BUT with that said, the picture you posted with the brown ribbon makes it look cuter - so I would say, go for it! 
I think they looked good. BTW, can you tell us where you get the laterns? I am planning to have them in my wedding too.
The lanterns are lovely! I’m not a big fan of balloons at weddings. How about if you vary the length of whatever the lanterns are hanging from. You can use 2 or 3 lengths of string (ribbon). This will create the illusion of having more lanterns & the ribbon or string can be your contrasting color to help fill the empty space above each lantern…
Balloons would be a lovely alternative to the lanterns. However, I would use a lighter colored ribbon (white, cream, silver) if you just want to add a bit of color. IMO, the brown ribbon contrasts too much and detract from the pink balloons. Another idea, instead of blending the balloons with the lanterns, maybe hang the lanterns over a specific area (ie. head table, cake table, etc.) to define and draw attention to those areas instead; OR…..blend the balloons with the lanterns but hang the lanterns lower for a more dramatic effect.
My first gut reaction to your balloon question was to think, “aren’t helium balloons bad for the environment?” After some research, it turns out they aren’t THAT bad. Here’s a good website about the issue:
http://www.madsci.org/posts/archives/2000-08/966694576.En.r.html
I think it will look lovely, Miss Pumpkin. Kudos to you for making your theme work without blowing your budget. Out of interest, what’s the price difference between the lanterns and balloons?
I like the balloon idea, but I’m with the pp who said no to the ribbon - I would use regular curling ribbon if you’re going to do anything. or maybe it’s just the brown? whatever the reason, i think it looks flat and uninteresting. there’s no life to the ribbon and it doesn’t add to the look at all.
I would ordinarily say no to wedding balloons (picturing those cheesy candy-cane striped arches popular at the high school prom dance) but actually your idea works, because the ribbons hanging are a serious upgrade — Nice with a really great quality wide (noticeable, not invisible string) ribbon to make the balloons a way of hanging the ribbons, i.e., to make it just as much about the ribbon.
Artistic arrangement also makes a big difference, instead of all over the place (tho if kids can reach them, they will glady help to rearrange!).
Make sure your ceiling isn’t “popcorn/cottage cheese” or otherwise spiky and dangerous! Gotta love the shrieks of surprise when balloons pop at random moments!
I have to decorate a large tent for my wedding, and I originally tried the lantern (tissue paper) balls. It was too tedious and just too much work for me. Even if I did 50 lanterns, I didn’t think it would make the tent look any better, esp since our tent had a relatively high ceiling. It also had visible bars, so I opted to get a fabric liner instead. My florist also suggested that she could do something cool with large pieces of fabric and ribbon, and I went with the white fabric lining that fits my tent. It gave a more elegant feel to the wedding. As for color, I’m using wrapped cylinders in blue and green and large blue hydrangeas for bursts of color. (ie, like Mrs. Ladybug’s cylinders). My fiance did point out that most people won’t be looking up, especially if there is a lot going on for other decor (centerpieces). Good luck!!!
What says “PARTY!!!” better than balloons?! And isn’t a wedding one huge party? Then go for it!
I don’t like that particular ribbon in the picture, but I bet you could play around with a lot of options to find one that works well for you. Maybe even light pink ribbon, since hanging brown from the ceiling will make it darker, not lighten it up like you intend to do with the lanterns.
The only reason I would balk at balloons is if you are going for a very black-tie, formal event. Other than that, they’re fun, flirty and practically free!!
Off the wall thought- take a camping tent, get about 30 balloons and do a very rough trial run.
I’m glad beta brought up the enviromental issue- maybe try to keep them from being let go if possible? You could even let any kids take them home or have them delivered to a children’s hospital the next day.
check out this site for really cheap paper lantern
(the no frill version are very inexpensive)
Hey, I like the balloons! They can look really classy if done right. Personally, I like the thick, brown ribbon. I think it’s hard to picture it with just the single balloon that you posted, but with a bunch of them together, I think it would look great!
I am really not a fan of curling ribbon, I think it looks cheap. I like the ribbons on the lanterns in the first MS picture. Using different shades of the same color would look really pretty.
I just used punching balloons at my engagement party as pseudo-lanterns. (those are big round balloons that inflate up to almost 2 ft in diameter - I loved the non-balloon shape) They actually looked pretty darn good if I do say so myself. So that might be something to consider
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Mrs. Pumpkin, Saskatchewan, Canada Blogger Since: April 10, 2007 Age and Occupation: 28, Lawyer Fiance's Age and Occupation: 29, Farmer Engagement Date: July 14, 2006 Wedding Date: June, 2007 About Me: I love movies, music and I am addicted to TV. When I have some spare time I also love scrapbooking and making personalized greeting cards and above all playing Hide & Seek or Duck, Duck, Goose with my two adorable nieces!
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