You need it for a weekend that is closer than it should be. Here is the honest answer about what is possible.
The fastest route: a plain sphere
A 5.5-foot sphere is $350, is often in stock, and ships the next working day when it is. Two to five business days on UPS Ground from North Carolina.
So in the best case you are looking at three or four days from ordering to a balloon in your hands. If it is not in stock, add one to two days to make one.
It is not printed. It gets you height and attention, not a message. For an urgent situation that is usually the right trade.
The printed blimp: about two weeks, honestly
Three to seven days production from **artwork approval**, then two to five business days shipping.
The part people underestimate is the proof. If your artwork needs a revision, that adds a day or two before the clock even starts. Under two weeks is realistic. Under one is not.
If someone tells you they can print and deliver a custom blimp in three days, ask where it is being made and what the material is.
What we will not do
Promise a date we cannot hit.
If your event is in five days and you want a printed blimp, we will say no and offer the sphere instead. That is a smaller sale for us and a better outcome for you than a balloon arriving the day after your opening.
Tell us the date at the start of the conversation, not the end.
Do not forget the helium
This is the thing that actually causes last-minute failures, more often than shipping.
You need a local welding-gas supplier and a 200 cubic foot cylinder, about $300. They keep business hours. If your event is Saturday and you think about gas on Friday afternoon, you have a problem the balloon cannot solve.
Sort the gas the same day you order the balloon.
Ask for a quote. Call 1-800-791-1445 or email [email protected] and tell us the size and whether you want it printed.
More at balloonrentals.com.