Laura Slater set up Bubblegum Balloons ten years ago with her sister Sally and best friend Megan. Since then, the company has delivered balloons to mark 150 marriage proposals, 400 bridesmaid requests, they’ve welcomed 1,000 new babies and now deliver more than 40,000 balloons a year. Better yet, they are perfect wedding decor for barn weddings like Tythe, says Laura.
Interview by Jade Beer.
Look up!
‘What we do transforms a wedding space, making it feel very specific for that couple. The magic of the balloons is that it’s the helium that lifts them so we can do all the securing of them from a ground level. You wouldn’t, for example, need to get up into the very high ceiling space at Tythe’s barn. You’re making people look up and appreciate the real beauty of the venue with splashes of colour that make it pop. Without balloons, it’s much trickier to decorate those high areas.’
Beautifully affordable
‘You’ll need a much bigger budget to achieve the same effect just with florals. Balloons are a small product that create a big impact. Plus, you don’t need to worry about seasonality or what’s available – we will always have silver orbs! And you can definitely send people home with them as gifts. They’ll be floating around their house for weeks reminding them of that special day. Sometimes the bride will take them home and take pictures of them decorating their bedroom. Everything is treated to make sure it lasts as long as possible.’
Surprise your guests
‘The best installations are the ones where we really get to transform a space and it’s a surprise. If a room has been used for a dinner, then guests move to another area for drinks and we come in to transform the dining room into an epic party space that’s full of silver balloons and neon lights.’
Balloons + flowers
‘We also love working with balloons and flowers together. At one venue we combined our silver orbs and beautiful white gypsophila. It was the ceremony backdrop, a real showstopper and one of my absolute favourites. Anything that impactful is really going to stick in guests’ minds. At the same venue, we wrapped one entire room in gold fringed tassels, so it was like stepping into a giant jewellery box. The room looked nothing like it did when we arrived.’
Make it personal
‘You can order our table centre balloons to be delivered anywhere in the UK – and you can personalise them with the names of places you’ve been on holiday together for example. They’re also really useful for signage, for directions or to highlight the gift table or the table plan. You can add images, perhaps something you’ve commissioned for your invitations, and photos or words, or go for the giant Mr or Mrs which work so well in the photographs. We can also bespoke the balloon tails and what goes inside of them.’
Kinder balloons
‘Sustainability is a huge consideration for us. Latex balloons come from forests that are producing latex, it comes out of the trees and it’s tapped. When those trees mature, new ones are planted which in turn helps with the CO2 emissions and deforestation. We are working with suppliers to make sure we are finding the most biodegradable versions of latex and looking at what chemicals are used in the dyes. The foil balloons are recyclable but only at a certain plant, so we pay to be part of that recycling programme. At the end of the event, they can be sent back to us or we can remove them when we are derigging. We look at everything we’re using – like the satin ribbon that’s made out of recycled plastic bottles. We all need to do the best we can. The only thing we ask is that people don’t release the balloons because you just don’t know where they’re going or what damage they may cause. It’s just not the right thing to do.’
See you at Tythe!
‘We get to work in some of the most incredible venues, delivering the most amazing installations and making visions come to life. We would love to work again at Tythe.’
For more information on decorating your event with balloons head over now to Bubblegum Balloons.
