Balloon decor, run out of Bedford
Naomi
Owner and creative director
I started this business seven years ago, and it has been the heart of everything we do ever since.
I am still hands on with the creative side of every event. I like being there when a garland goes up against the wall it was designed for, because that is the moment you find out whether the idea works in the room rather than on paper. Colours look different under a chandelier than they do on a phone screen, and a display that looked right in a plan can want moving half a metre once you see it in place.
You will often find me in the shop in Kempston too. It is a different pace from a venue install, and I like staying close to the detail: writing a bubble balloon by hand, matching a colour to something a customer has brought in, checking a bouquet is tied properly before it goes out of the door.
Outside work I am a mum of four, and family is everything to me. That is not a line for a website. It is the reason I care what a room looks like when a family walks into it, and why I would rather tell someone what will actually work in their space than sell them something that will not.
For us this is not just a business. It is family, and every event we take on gets treated that way.
Seven
years in business
Two
sides: venue styling and the shop
Bedford
based, out to five main towns
Mum of four
when she is not on site
01
One business that does two jobs
Event Artistry goes out to venues and builds installations: garlands, backdrops, light up numbers, full room styling. The Balloon Shop sits at 210 Bedford Rd in Kempston and makes up balloons to collect.
Most balloon companies do one or the other. Doing both means the shop can hand you a bunch of helium balloons on a Tuesday morning and the events side can style a wedding on the Saturday, and it is the same person answering either way.
02
Built on site, not in a workshop
Organic garlands follow the wall they go on. That only works if they are built in the room, against the actual doorway or fireplace or corner, rather than assembled elsewhere and carried in finished.
It takes longer and it is the reason the work looks like it belongs in the room. It is also why we would rather see a photograph of your space before quoting than work from a description.
03
Big rooms and small orders, both
We have worked with Topshop, Miss Selfridge, Baycroft, One Housing and Wells & Co, and on school events including Bedford Modern School.
The same week will usually also include a first birthday in a front room and a bunch of helium balloons collected from the shop. Neither is more important than the other.
- out of 5 on Add To Event
- 4.7out of 5 on Add To Event
- towns and villages covered
- 15towns and villages covered
- things we build and hire
- 12things we build and hire
How it runs
From the first messageto the last balloon down
- 01
Tell us the day
The date, the venue and roughly what you picture. A photo you like is plenty to start.
- 02
We plan the colours
Chrome, matte, ivory, blush, sage. We match the room and the rest of your styling.
- 03
We build it on site
Garlands and arches are built at the venue on the day, so they fit the space properly.
- 04
We take it away
Everything comes back down after the event, so you are not left clearing up.
Brands we have styled for
- Starbucks
- NHS
- BBC EastEnders
- Costa Coffee
- Brewpoint
- Wells & Co
- UK Beauty Awards
- RSP UK
- GDK
- Mercedes-Benz
- BMW
- MINI
- Volkswagen
- Audi
- SEAT
- Ford
- Skoda
- Xero
- Topshop
- Miss Selfridge
- Specsavers
- Baycroft
- One Housing
People we are happy to put you on to
Cakes
Celebration and wedding cakes, and the cake table to stand it on.
Photography
The person who has to work in the room we have styled.
Venues
Function rooms, marquees and halls across the towns we cover.
Florists
Fresh flowers, alongside the dried and artificial we work with.
Entertainment
DJs, bands and children's entertainers.
Catering
Sit down, buffet and street food.
Planning something and not sure who to ask? Tell us what you still need and we will point you at someone.
Ask usWhat people said afterwards
4.7 out of 5 on Add To Event
Was a great service. Would highly recommend. With beautiful attention to detail. Really beautiful balloons. And no hassle at all. Thanks so much.
Made to last the night, not the century
The balloons we use, and what happens to them after
Balloons get a bad name, and most of that comes down to what people do with them rather than what they are made of.
Latex is a natural material
Latex balloons are made from the sap of the rubber tree. It is a plant material, it is renewable, and it breaks down naturally.
Foil gets used again
Foil balloons are not biodegradable, so they are not treated as disposable. They come down carefully, get deflated and go back in the box for the next job.
Nothing is ever released
Every display is weighted. No balloon release, no helium let go into the sky, nothing left to come down in a field or a river.
We take it away
Installations are collected after the event, so the venue is left clear and the materials come back with us rather than going in a skip.
Photographed on the day