My Favorite Balloon Garlands for Cake Smashes

I absolutely love balloon garlands! They’re such a fun way to decorate and build a setup for cake smashes in the studio. Today, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my favorite balloon garlands so that when you start to plan your baby’s first birthday portraits, you’ve got some great ideas in mind.

Balloon garlands are an easy way to bring some color to the studio - especially if a family isn’t sure they want an actual them. They’re festive and celebratory! Paired with confetti, balloon garlands are a super fun way to celebrate your baby turning one!

Use Garlands instead of a Theme

Some families prefer to do a cake smash with no theme, but instead they have color inspiration they would like to use. A balloon garland pulls everything together and makes it festive. Just add a little confetti sprinkled on the floor, and you’re good to go!

You’ll see that we often use balloon garlands WITH a theme, too. It’s such a fun way to pull together a more theme (like the Easter Bunny, music, and a sports team, as you’ll see below!) by adding cutouts and other decor to complete the look.

Assembling Your Balloon Garland

As I prepare for birthday sessions, one of my jobs is assembling the balloon garlands. It’s much easier than you think! My number one tip is to make sure that you mix different sized balloons for a balanced look. I also love THESE balloon clips, which help me reuse my balloons for multiple sessions. All about low waste options! When you start to build the garland, bring your balloons really tightly together and then once you add it to your setup, you can re-arrange the balloons by flipping some forward and backward to get the look you want.

Below, you’ll find some of the most popular themes and color combinations - as well as a chance to click on some of the original blog posts and see the full setup!

I hope these portraits inspire you to include a balloon garland in your child’s first birthday portraits!

Pastels

baby plays with cake in front of pastel balloon garland for cake smash with Nicole Starr Photography, NY cake smash photographer
brothers eat cake during easter bunny inspired cake smash with pastel balloon arch photographed by Nicole Starr Photography
baby boy in suspenders plays with wooden spoon during music inspired cake smash with pastel blue and white balloon garland photographed by NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography
baby girl in pigtails plays with cake during ice cream inspired cake smash with pastel balloon arch photographed by NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography
baby plays with cake topper in front of pink and gold balloon garland for cake smash with Nicole Starr Photography
baby plays in tub in front of pastel peach, pink and purple balloon arch photographed by Nicole Starr Photography, NY cake smash photographer

Blues

baby boy sits in front of assortment of blue balloons in balloon garland photographed by first birthday photographer Nicole Starr Photography
baby puts icing in his mouth in front of blue and white balloon garland photographed by Nicole Starr Photography, NY cake smash photographer
baby crawls on floor during space themed cake smash with blue and tan balloon garland photographed by NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography

Chromes/Metallics

metallic balloon arch of purples and whites for pastel cake smash for first birthday photographed by NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography
baby girl plays in front of metallic balloon garland during cake smash photographed by NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography

White with Florals

all-white balloon garland with floral accents for boho inspired cake smash with NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography
baby lifts wooden spoon during cake smash with all-white balloon garland with floral accents designed by NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography

Vibrant

baby plays with cake in front of orange, blue, and green balloon arch shared by NY cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography
blue, orange, and white balloon garland for Astros inspired cake smash for one year old in Saratoga Springs NY studio

Save it for later:

Favorite Balloon garlands for cake smashes with a variety of themes shared by New York cake smash photographer Nicole Starr Photography