Hot Start: Confetti Castle doing over 20 custom balloon displays each week — clients include DryBar and Greg Olsen

In the three months since founded Confetti Castle, Donovan’s whimsical work has appeared everywhere from children’s birthdays to events for high-powered brands like DryBar, Lily Pulitzer, and Lululemon, plus charity functions for Greg Olsen’s Receptions For Research.

When we met, she had 11 installations to complete in one day. Donovan relies heavily on part-time help, but despite the extra hands, she’s still regularly putting in 15-hour days to get it all done.

You wouldn’t suspect it based on the popularity of her business, but Donovan is new to both Charlotte and to the custom balloon art business.

She arrived here in May from Nashville, where she ran a bachelorette party planning service.

Donovan, who described herself as “generally crafty,” noticed balloon art was becoming popular in larger markets like L.A. She decided to utilize her natural abilities and learn how to create custom installations for the Charlotte market.

How it works: Donovan purchases high-quality balloons of varying sizes from wholesalers. These aren’t something you can grab off the shelf at Party City.

They’re biodegradable and are made of thick material, making them durable and easier to work with. She’s got a plethora of color options to cater to her clients’ tastes and brand colors.

Because she doesn’t use helium to fill the balloons, it’s common for installations to stay intact a month or six weeks after they’re put together.

The setup: Depending on whether the event is indoors or outdoors and what the space is like, she’ll blow the balloons up in advance at her warehouse, cutting down on the amount of labor required on the day of.

She transports the balloons using a cargo van or a box truck, and uses a variety of materials (like fishing wire and command hooks) to anchor the installation in place.

Setup time varies depending on the project itself. Major installations could take upwards of a few hours. Smaller jobs might require only a half-hour or so.

The name: Donovan said she wanted something “bright and fun” (you’ll notice she sports bright pink hair) and liked the notion of “being the queen of something.”

Pricing: Eight-foot garlands created using five-inch to 18-inch balloons start at $96, plus delivery fee. Prices go up $12 a foot after that.

If you’re in the market for extra-large balloons, the price is $112 for an eight-foot garland. It goes up $14 a foot after that.

Balloon walls start at $350.

Other services: Donovan is beginning to expand her offerings, too. Soon, she’ll offer wedding favorites like giant champagne balloons and streamer walls.

She’s also offering balloon drops for New Year’s Eve parties.