Balloon Decoration: Is This For You?

(Or, The Difference Between Styling and Balloon Decoration)

In just the space of just 2 years, event styling has quickly grown from a small trend into a full blown revolution. I am sure that by now, you know somebody who has thrown a birthday party decorated by an event stylist. And what a party it was! All the amazing handmade crafts, the elaborate stage set-up, the furniture, and all those lanterns and pompoms!

But what, exactly, does styling mean? How is it different from the typical balloon decoration? Is it really for you? And most importantly, how much will it set you back?

In this article, I will my best and answer all of these questions. But before diving into the meat of things, I think it would be very helpful if we have a little history lesson and find out how the whole styling movement began.

HOW EVENT STYLING CAME ABOUT

My company, Party Magic, has been in the party decor and supplies industry for the past 4 years. In the space of this time period, I was lucky enough to witness how styling came about. There are, basically, 2 types of clients who approached us with the burning desire to have a styled party:

1. The Veteran Kiddie Party Throwers

These are parents who are celebrating the 1st birthday of their 3rd, or 4th child, and are just plain sick and tired of the usual balloon decor. Think about it. If you assume that these parents are well-connected, established professionals with a considerably wide social circle, then it is easy to assume that they’ve attended the kiddie parties of the children of their friends, their families, and even the parties thrown by the classmates of their own children. They must have seen more kiddie parties than I have! And so when they stumbled upon the early trend of styling, it must have felt like such a breath of fresh air. Suddenly, parties became fun to attend to again!

This is my niece, Morgan. Her mom, my sister-in-law, is THE veteran kiddie party thrower!

2. The Early Mom and Dad in the Batch

The early mom and dad are parents who, compared to their peers in their social circle (such as friends, family, and schoolmates), married early and had a child early. The main consequence of this is the fact that by the time they would be celebrating their child’s first birthday, their child guest list is almost zero. Faced with this prospect, and being young and hip, they often opt to go for the styled party trend.

Styled parties have the interesting characteristic of being appealing not only to children, but to adults as well, because of applied concepts such as coordinated design, typography, and color palette. Styled parties are also more suited for a cool, relaxed vibe, perfect for small chat and catching up between friends. Both of these qualities are very appealing for the early mom and dad.

WHAT IS EVENT STYLING, EXACTLY?

Nowadays, it is very easy to declare oneself a “event stylist”, and any unsuspecting potential client would be none the wiser. But what is event styling, exactly? What can you expect from a styled party?

If I were to describe event styling in one sentence, it would be this: If Martha Stewart had a 1-year old, the party that she would throw would be a styled party.

However, instead of trying to tell you, I think it’s best to just show you a styled party:

Andie’s Mermaid Themed Party, by Party Magic

Ross’s Monopoly Party, by Party Magic

Sam’s Barnyard Bash, by Party Magic

Balloon decoration, on the other hand, looks like this:

Miko’s Sesame Street Balloon Party, by Party Magic

Perhaps a better way of presenting the difference between styled and balloon decorated party is by presenting the table below:

	STYLING	BALLOON DECOR
Theme	Non-character-based (such as Garden, Tea Party, Monsters, Transportation)	Character-based (such as Mickey Mouse, Cars)
Materials	Paper crafts, furniture, wooden painted props, lights, floral arrangements, lanterns, pompoms, swags.	Rubber balloons, styrofoam backdrops, swags.
Overall Look and Aesthetic	Coordinated color scheme, subdued, visually balanced (not minimalist, but not overblown either).	A blast of colors; a look that says, “every nook and cranny needs to be covered in balloons”.

HOW MUCH DOES A TYPICAL STYLED PARTY COST?

If I were to answer this question in a nutshell, I would say that a styled party will cost you about P60,000 and upwards, with the P60,000 being the most basic, base price of a stylist’s package. How high the price will go upwards for your specific party actually depends on 3 major factors – your requirements, your venue and guest list, and the stylist that you will hire.

It is important to realize that not all stylists are created equal – each stylist that their own taste, signature design, and their own interpretation of the theme. It is very important that at the onset you and your stylist will establish a strong rapport in terms of the execution of your ideas and concepts.

Hope all of this helps you in your search for that perfect birthday celebration for your little one!

‘Til the next party!

Michelle