How To Make A Balloon Arch – The Ultimate Guide

The balloon arch is one of the topmost iconic pieces of balloon decor, only third to the balloon column and the helium balloon itself. A balloon arch is a gathering and stacking of balloons, held together by either a balloon stand or a string in order to make the appearance of an arch made out of balloons. A balloon arch can be made with helium-filled balloons or air-filled balloons.

Spiral balloon arches, also sometimes called cluster balloon arches or traditional balloon arches, can be made by stacking balloon clusters on fishing line or more commonly by stacking balloon clusters on a stand or frame.

For more information on how to make a balloon cluster, check out my post Tie Balloons Together – Making Duplets, Balloon Quads, Balloon Clusters.

A floating balloon arch, also sometimes called a String Of Pearl arch (or SOP arch), can be a beautiful addition to any balloon decorations. If you want more detailed information on how to make a floating balloon arch, check out my post How To Make A Floating Balloon Arch.

A spiral balloon arch can be made in many different shapes and sizes. Spiral balloon arches with stands can be used as a walkway, or to guide people to a specific location. A spiral balloon arch with a stand can be used to accent a doorway or table. If you want more information on how to make a simple spiral balloon arch, check out my post How To Make A Balloon Arch The Ultimate Guide.

If you want more information about balloon stands, check out my post All About Balloon Column Stands / Bases.

Balloon arches can be filled with air. Air filled balloon arches are cheaper than helium filled balloon arches. Air filled balloon arches generally need either a stand or a wall to lean against. Air filled balloon arches without a stand are not recommended for outdoor use or for high traffic areas as they can fall over easily.

Balloon arches can also be filled with helium. Helium filled balloon arches are more expansive than air filled balloon arches. Helium filled balloon arches will need significant weights at both ends to prevent the arch from floating away. If you want more information about balloon weights check out my post Balloon Weights: How To Use, Make, And How Heavy They Need To Be.

Organic balloon arch, also sometimes called an organic balloon garland,

This particular organic balloon arch is a kit offered by Shimmer and Confetti.

Linked balloon arches are made with linking balloons, if you are interested in learning about different types of balloons, check out my post Types Of Balloons – Everything You Need To Know And More.

• 11″ or 12″ balloons (the number of balloons you need will depend on the size arch you are making)*
• balloon hand pump or balloon inflator (you can find my personal favorite hand pump on Amazon here)
• 2 balloon weights
• fishing line, curling ribbon
• scissors

*Check out the chart below to help you figure out how many balloons you will need for your arch.

Inflate your balloons. Size your balloons to approximately the same size. For this example, I’m sizing my balloons to 9″. Check out my post on 3 Ways To Size A Balloon here, if you need more information about how to size a balloon.

Then tie the balloons into duplets. If you need more information on how to make a duplet, check out my post Tie Balloons How To Make A Duplet.

Next, wrap the duplets into quads. If you need more information about how to make a quad, check out my post Tie Balloons Together – Making Duplets, Balloon Quads, Balloon Clusters.

Cut some of your fishing line or curling ribbon (about twice as long as your finished arch) and attach it to one of your weights.

Next, set one of your quads on top of the balloon weight you just attached to one of your balloon weights and begin to wrap the fishing line or curling ribbon around the balloon quad in various directions.

Begin stacking your balloon quads one at a time and wrapping your fishing line or curling ribbon around each of your newly stacked quads.

Continue stacking and wrapping your quads with fishing line or curling ribbon until all of your quads have been tightly secured.

Attach the second balloon weight to the other end of your balloon arch.

Stand your balloon arch up. You may want to lean your balloon arch up against a wall for better stability. Adjust or tighten some of the balloon quads by twisting them around each other, until your arch looks good.

• 11″ or 12″ balloons (the number of balloons you need will depend on the size arch you are making)*
• balloon hand pump or balloon inflator (you can find my personal favorite hand pump on Amazon here)
• balloon stands
• fishing line, curling ribbon
• scissors

*Check out the chart below to help you figure out how many balloons you will need for your arch.

Inflate your balloons. Size your balloons to approximately the same size. For this example, I’m sizing my balloons to 9″. Check out my post on 3 Ways To Size A Balloon here, if you need more information about how to size a balloon.

Then tie the balloons into duplets. If you need more information on how to make a duplet, check out my post Tie Balloons Together – Making Duplets, Balloon Quads, Balloon Clusters.

Begin by wrapping two sets of duplets around your balloon stand.

Continue wrapping duplets around your balloon stand until you reach the height of your stands. In this example, I used 5 sets of quads or 10 sets of duplets for each column.

Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you have 2 columns.

Twist the remaining duplets into quads. If you need more instructions on how to make quads, check out my post Tie Balloons Together – Making Duplets, Balloon Quads, Balloon Clusters.

Begin stacking your balloon quads one at a time and wrapping your fishing line or curling ribbon around each of your newly stacked quads making a balloon garland.

For this example, I used 7 sets of quads or 14 sets of duplets.

Attach one end of the garland in step 7 to one of your balloon columns. Try to attach them as close as possible to the balloon quads at the top of your column. Next tie the other end of your balloon garland to the second balloon column, again attaching the balloon quads close together.

Adjust or tighten some of the balloon quads by twisting them around each other, until your arch looks good.