Why Your Balloon Business Needs a Cancellation Policy

For years, I ran my balloon business without a formal cancellation policy. No deposit rules. No refund language. No “here’s what happens if you cancel” section on my website. And honestly? It mostly worked… because cancellations were rare.

But here's why it had to change...

I was booking a lot of weddings, and weddings are a different beast because they’re scheduled so far in advance. People book a date a year out, then colors change, venues change, timelines change... sometimes the whole plan changes! To keep things simple, I’ve used a small “save the date” fee for brides: $100 that holds the date and applies to their final invoice later.

Here’s the part that surprised me: in one month alone, I had four brides respond to my follow-up email with some version of, “Oh my gosh… I forgot I booked you.” One postponed again. One called off the wedding entirely. A few had already gotten married and hadn’t updated vendors. None of them asked for their money back.

That moment made something really clear: even a small deposit protects you from holding a date for nothing.

And it also made me realize how exposed I am for every other type of client.

Previously, most of my non-wedding clients didn't pay anything until about two weeks before the event, when they pay in full. And I didn’t have clear language anywhere about what’s refundable, what isn’t, or what happens if someone cancels after I’ve ordered product.

With COVID (and last-minute changes) still affecting events, I didn’t want to be the one stuck with the bill, especially when I’ve already ordered specialty balloons for a theme that I’ll never use again. At the same time, I’m also not interested in becoming a “bank” where clients pay everything a year in advance. I like getting paid when I do the work. But I needed a structure that’s fair to the client and fair to my business.

So I built a real cancellation policy and deposit system by looking at what other balloon pros do (some require full payment quickly, some require a booking fee before planning, some do a deposit + balance due closer to the event). And I chose something I could actually follow. Because the worst policy is the one you write and then fold on every time.

If you don’t have a clear cancellation policy yet, consider this as your nudge. Set it up now and your future self will thank you.

Listen to episode 52 of The Bright Balloon Podcast to hear me talk about this change in real time.