Help A Reader Out: Hot Air Balloon Theme
DIY devotee, Ann, needs some help with her hot air balloon themed wedding. I thought I’d turn this one over to you awesomely creative people.
… My fiance proposed to me on a hot air balloon last March. We are trying to continue this by making the theme of the wedding hot air balloons. My sister is a graphic designer and is making all of our stationary with a beautiful monogram/logo using a hot air balloon and our names. We are getting married at a pretty formal reception hall, so we know that the decorations need to match the formality of the room. We have been thinking of finding rice paper lanterns made to look like balloons. We would light all of the lanterns with candles or battery operated lights. I am having so much trouble finding plain or light blue rice paper balloon lanterns. Any idea where I could get them or any other ideas for centerpieces using that theme?
Thanks for your help!
Can you help Ann out with centerpieces, lantern sources, and other hot air balloon inspiration?
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have you tried the paper lantern store?
Hi! What a beautiful theme! These are my round paper lantern recommendations:
http://www.lunabazaar.com
http://asianideas.com/
http://www.pearlriver.com
And as for a paper hot air balloon you can find one at:
http://www.orientaltrading.com
and here’s the direct link to the item:
Hot Air Balloon Paper Lanterns
GL!
Have you seen ? They have an impressive selection of rice paper lanterns… not sure if they have hot air balloon ones, but perhaps something in the right shape and color. If you don’t mind a little DIY involvement, you could attach small wicker baskets to the bottom with some twine so that they look like hot air balloons. Fantastic proposal and very cool to include in your wedding! Good luck!
I’m not sure what your budget is, but here are a few ideas
Hot air balloon get away after ceremony or reception. This would also make for great pictures.
A fire entertainer would also be unique to entertain guests during the cocktail hour.
Favors wrapped in balloon silk.
You could skip individual favors and have a raffle of a hot air balloon ride. (A little non-traditional)
Candles as the centerpiece are a cheap and elegant way to bring the room together.
The website above has a hot air balloon container that might be useful for some decorations.
Albuquerque has their huge annual hot air balloon festival, so you could incorporate that into your food choices.
If you are having kids at the reception, include hot air balloon coloring pictures.
Instead of naming the tables, they have a different hot air balloon.
Hope that gives you a little inspiration!
They have a HUGE selection at http://www.culturalintrigue.com for pretty fair pricing.
Well for centerpieces maybe you could use baskets that reminds of the hot air balloon baskets and have flowers set to look like the hot air ballon.
A hot air balloon is also in the sky so you can play around with that and have a sky themed room with whites and sky blues, cotton candy treats to remind of the clouds.
You could have helium filled plastic balloons around the alley to the altar (if outside).
There is also the weights used in hot air baloons (at least in the past), maybe you can find some inspiration in that as well.
Well for centerpieces maybe you could use baskets that reminds of the hot air balloon baskets and have flowers set to look like the hot air ballon.
A hot air balloon is also in the sky so you can play around with that and have a sky themed room with whites and sky blues, cotton candy treats to remind of the clouds.
You could have helium filled plastic balloons around the alley to the altar (if outside).
There is also the weights used in hot air baloons (at least in the past), maybe you can find some inspiration in that as well.
What if you thought of some things that have to do with hot-air ballooning but that are not necessarily balloons? Like…. landing among the stars… soaring through the heavens… walking on clouds… being on top of the world….
Also, you can get round balloons (instead of the normal oblong ones you’d get anywhere) that are very elegant-looking.
What about some centerpieces with tea light and a hot air balloon style above (maybe glass?). Another idea are mini paper lanterns in hot air balloon style. Check ‘em out: http://www.bizrate.com/partysupplies/oid72483572.html
You could make each centerpiece a hot air balloon — it’s a perfect way to combine a tall and a short centerpiece. Have the basket filled with flowers or whatever and attach it with strings to a large helium-filled balloon. That way, guests won’t have a tall centerpiece blocking their view.
If you end up going with paper lanterns, I recommend getting LED tealights like these.
I bought a ton for my wedding (though not from Amazon), since my venue won’t let me have real candles anywhere but the dinner tables. They aren’t incredibly bright but they do flicker realistically, and you don’t have to worry about lighting them just beforehand since the batteries are pretty good…plus they won’t set your lanterns on fire!
It’s a little pricey and I don’t know if you have certain colors, but there’s a balloon centerpiece idea: http://www.nauticalsupplyshop.com/page/N/PROD/airships/AM-AP161E
And you could also use: http://www.orientaltrading.com/ui/browse/processRequest.do?demandPrefix=12&sku=57/6154&mode=Searching&erec=0&D=hot+air+balloon+paper+lanterns&Ntt=hot+air+balloon+paper+lanterns&Ntk=all&Dx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&Ntx=mode%2bmatchallpartial&y=19&N=0&requestURI=processProductsCatalog&x=41&sd=Hot+Air+Balloon+Paper+Lanterns
You could also give chocolate-molded hot air balloons as favors. You could also use the colors the balloon that you were proposed to in was as your wedding colors. Also, you could write/find a little love poem that involves hot air balloons and frame them and put them on the table. You could also use molds to form hot-air balloon lollipops and stick them in a hot-air balloon basket and use that as a centerpiece (and have the lollipops serve as the favor).
Depending on how much you are spending and/or have left to spend, you could hire a Caricature artist to do portraits (and have the guests standing in a hot-air balloon).
Or hang these around the room: http://www.plumparty.com/18578/22%22+Tissue+Hot+Air+Balloon.html