Will these balloons ruin my wedding?

I actually like them! Especially the white ones! If you want them, then tell them. I had balloons at my wedding disco. The venue said balloons don't do well, as the old building gets cold. They all dropped to the floor by halfway through the day, because of the temperature fluctuation. So they were a massive waste of money for me!

Surely these are awful for the environment as well. If I owned the venue I wouldn't want to allow that either.

I love them! However, heat and balloons is a thing. We had a party for one of my kids one hot summer and all the balloons kept popping. They were outside in the sun.

But she's the bride, so these things understandably matter to her and why shouldn't they?

And in an age where people photograph and video everything, they won't exactly be forgotten

I suspect if the venue is being reluctant about balloons it's probably more about past experiences with events where guests have taken them out of the reception room and they've ended up floating off to high ceiling corners where they can't be easily reached to bring down again, or letting them go outside where they end up causing litter/mess. Obviously you'd assume your guests won't behave like that, but the venue aren't going to know that and you never really know what lots of people will be like after a few drinks, I suppose.

Maybe just find out exactly what the concern/previous bad experience is and take it from there, as there might be things you can do to mitigate any balloon-based horror risks they're imagining!

People are being needlessly rude about your decoration preferences. Clearly the balloon idea fits with the vibe you're going for and would work within that aesthetic. Whether that aesthetic would also be the choice of randoms on Mumsnet isn't really relevant. It wouldn't necessarily be what I'd choose*, but I still think it could look great. The pictures you've shared look like the kind of evening do where you could have a brilliant time!

*I suspect anything I would choose would horrify Mumsnet way more than your retro disco vibe

This! I can't believe helium use for this sort of unnecessary item is still legal either.

And yes, if they are let go outside, they will do harm to the environment/wildlife.

And I don't actually think the balloons are awful to look at or that the concept you are going for is anything bad. But sometimes you need to think outside of what you want. The venue is clearly trying to dissuade you for a reason.

My mother taught me to be honest. And she loathed balloons to the point of phobia.

Didn't you ask why?

I was going to suggest it might be something like it will all be fine to you, but they have to spend hours picking them out of their aircon the day after. But if they are making it your choice, just ask them why. If it's aesthetic, then their opinion is meaningless, only yours matters. If it's that they tend to wander and burst and fall in the guest's dinners, then you decide if that's something you care about.

So why have you booked a historic, period property?!

100% this - how do they all come down from the ceiling, how high is the ceiling, will staff be up on a ladder to get them down, do they have to be pulled down and popped one by one and thrown away, etc etc etc.

Depending on how many you have and how high the ceiling is, it might be hours of work for the venue and the staff the next day (if you're paying them for clearing up).

We have used them for a party in August (so warm) and they were fiddly as fuck 😂but looked ace.

We blew up one on the Thursday, Some the Friday and some the morning of the party (Saturday). Thursday ones did not survive brilliantly, they were fine but between the heat and the weight of the lights they were about 2 inches off the floor by Sat, Friday ones hung lower then the Sat ones but tbh it was quite nice with all the different heights..

Have a fantastic day, I love the sound of your reception plans, it sounds like a blast!

So do I.

I do see the PP’s point about helium but it probably isn’t very much helium - and it goes back into the air once it’s used up.

Having any sort of party uses up some natural resources (unless you get the wedding dress second hand - white textiles are really damaging to the environment).

This is a very 80s nightclub vibe (believe me, I know )

Be warned if you achieve it. Your older guests will nostagically request "Oops Upside Your Head" and automatically sit on the floor doing the rowing dance. They may need help to get up again so factor this in!

ETA picture didn't copy, OP post of the pink disco lights.

I’ve reread the OP’s posts. Without knowing the reason for “I wouldn’t” on the balloons, it’s difficult to say. My main question is what are the terms of the afterparty clean up? If the balloons do get stuck on the ceiling, is the venue going to charge you extra to get them down?

I agree.

It kind of sums up our selfish, insta, me me me culture really.

yes I was wondering if it was this reason too, those ceilings are so high.
I like them though op, be nice to have your wedding exactly as you want it.

Have you considered how you will get the balloons down afterwards? Will the venue charge you extra for retrieval and disposal?

Do you mean 'Kitsch'?

Nobody is going to pay that much attention to your "vibe" or remember that you had light up balloons a couple of days afterwards.

Seems like a fairly pointless thing to get the venue annoyed about and likely to cause you far more stress than any positive impact on anyone's enjoyment of the day.

My thought exactly.
But I like jellyfish.

You must feel deflated

Those balloons are tacky and an environmental horror show. I'm team venue on this.