Many balloon decorators might feel that wedding decor accounts are out of their reach. The average bride-to-be probably doesn’t consider balloons when she’s planning the decor for her wedding. So what do you do to earn their business and show them that balloon decor can be a viable option for their wedding and reception? We asked decorators on Facebook to share their tips for wedding business bliss.

Contributors:
Sandi Masori, CBA, Balloon Utopia, San Diego, CA, USA
Lesley Munro, Balloons By Danny Marino, Norwich, UK
Melissa Sherk, CBA, Balloon in a Box Canada, Ingersoll, ON, Canada
Casey Clark, CBA, Balloons by Winnie, Fredericksburg, VA, USA
Donna McDowell, A Beautiful Balloon by Donna, Pensacola, FL, USA
Samuel Stamp-Dod, CBA, VIP Balloons, Ipswich, Suffolk, UK
Isaiah O’Conner, CBA, Ballong Event Byrå, Kristiansand, Norway
Joette Meyers Giardina, CBA, Party People Celebration Co., Lakeland, FL, USA
Cassie Ackerman, Prairie Sunshine Flowers, Clinton, OK, USA
Pam Pearce, Balloons and Tunes Tamworth, Tamworth, UK
Saskia Cedeño, CBA, Balloon Boutique USA, Norwalk, CT, USA

Go where the brides are

According to Sandi Masori, the first step to adding wedding decor business is figuring out the best way to market to the brides in your area. Whether it’s social media or the bridal shop, you need to have a presence there.

Lesley Munro shares her bridal decor photos with the social media pages of local wedding venues. Doing this allows every bride who visits the page to see her work.

Bridal shows are big bucks

Brides won’t consider balloon decor unless you show them how elegant it can be. Melissa Sherk, CBA, advises that you can’t book brides if they don’t know who you are. She suggests setting up a booth that features a branded selfie station as a memorable way to stand out from the crowd. It shows off your work and your business name will be in every selfie! Casey Clark agrees with Melissa but adds that instead of paying for a booth you should offer to decorate the fashion show stage in exchange for your booth fee. This stage decor shows off your work on a larger scale and is free advertising for your business. However, Casey along with Donna McDowell stress that you should get everything in writing.

Build relationships

Samuel Stamp-Dod and Isaiah O’Conner, CBA, strongly suggest building relationships with other businesses that provide services for weddings and receptions – bridal planners, florists, venues, caterers, etc. A mutually beneficial relationship with these businesses means that you can recommend each other to prospective clients.

Joette Meyers Giardina recommends aiming to be these businesses’ preferred balloon vendor. “Keep them updated on the trends in balloons for wedding balloons and designs that you think would be perfect for your local venues,” she said.

Cassie Ackerman owns a flower shop that sells balloons. When brides come in to talk about flowers, she and her staff show them balloon decor as well. They want to break the perception that balloons are “kids’ stuff” and prove that balloon decor can be an elegant decor option. “We actually convinced a bride that for her budget balloons were a better, more elegant, impactful option than jars of baby’s breath,” she said

Always be professional

No matter how you drum up wedding business, it’s important to be professional in every job you do. Your professionalism on a job can make a huge impact on any number of people working with and around you. Pam Pearce puts it best: “Always be professional when out working at local venues,” she said. “If you’re polite and courteous, work tidily, and clean up after yourself, the staff will want to promote you to their clients. And if you do different they will remember you.”

The need for professionalism is even more vital when working with your customers. Samuel Stamp-Dod encourages balloon decorators to always show clients your best work, not just what you think they want to see. Saskia Cedeño adds that it’s vital to listen to exactly what the bride wants, suggest a possible theme, and to always be punctual no matter what.

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