Local Event Business, Beyond the Decor, Expands Showroom with New Location

Rolando Aguilera and Alonso Palacio of Beyond the Décor, in their new expanded showroom at 2400 Veterans Blvd

Beyond the Décor has grown from small town balloon garlands to high quality service in 6 short years since their modest beginning. Del Rio native, Alonso Palacio, started the business from his mother’s sofa in 2019 during the pandemic, following his parents’ divorce. Palacio chose balloons, a product that innately elicits joy, to help him navigate through a period of depression. Which ultimately led him to finding his own love story. Palacio partnered with Rolando Aguilera in 2020, in life and in business. Now with 4 business ventures under their belt, they share their entrepreneurial skills as industry educators, traveling across the country for collaborations and offering training programs.

The pair attribute their business success to their relationship dynamic, Palacio referred to Aguilera and said, “we are a really good balance, he is the logistics, and I’m the ideas.” Over the years, Beyond the Décor has become a family business. Palacio’s brother and mother now work with him, which he said helps keep the family close. He transformed the pain from his parents’ divorce into a love story, designing weddings and celebrations for other people, and reconnecting his family to a sense of hope. Beyond the Décor offers a range of services including balloon arrangements, floral designs, and event planning for corporate events, weddings, birthdays, and baby showers.

The demand for parties surged after 2020, Palacio said, “after COVID everyone wanted parties, the party industry grew,” and contributed to their success. After establishing Beyond the Décor in 2019, they promptly opened The Party Shop. Then, in the spring of 2023, they opened Casa Blanca, an event venue out towards the lake. The next winter in 2024, they opened a second Beyond the Décor location in San Antonio. And now in the spring of 2025, they have relocated the original Beyond the Décor within Del Rio and consolidated it with The Party Shop into one streamline location. The upcoming grand opening of their new, larger location on 2400 Veterans Blvd will take place on April 20th, 2025.

Their success and expertise has garnered national attention. Palacio and Aguilera are focused on making connections, learning, sharing their skills, and affiliating themselves with industry leaders. They are climbing the ranks and collaborating with celebrity clients at high-profile venues, such as Fiesta San Antonio. They have worked with "Balloon and Paper," an artist known for their work with the Kardashians, and “Luz Paz,” a Miami-based artist who has worked with Jennifer Lopez and Ricky Martin. Palacio said they are invited to Las Vegas in May to collaborate on a mystery celebrity event. He emphasized excitedly, “we don’t know who the event is for, someone famous, there is a privacy contract, we will find out when we get there.”

Another huge element of their business strategy is business coaching and industry education. Beyond the Décor actively seeks cutting-edge ideas from artists nationwide, participating in certifications and completing 1:1 courses with industry leaders. They take this knowledge from their travels and bring it back to Del Rio and San Antonio by hosting their own classes locally. They have launched Beyond the Décor Academy and usually offer 2 classes per year. Their next one scheduled in San Antonio on April 24 and 25 will feature a balloon artist from Mexico.

The pair attribute their business success to their relationship dynamic, Palacio referred to Aguilera and said, “we are a really good balance, he is the logistics, and I’m the ideas.”

In general, the balloon industry has grown significantly since Beyond the Décor started. Many more balloon artists have popped onto the local scene, but Palacio doesn’t see his competitors as threats, he wants to help them succeed. He explained, when quality improves across the board, it increases the value of the overall industry. Palacio said Beyond the Décor Academy is designed to “let them know how to charge, how to build, how to give that quality customer service.” He said, “if they never learn how much they should be charging for balloon garland, it really effects all of us, but if you teach them, then they are able to value their work and also offer really good services.”

Beyond the Décor is acclaimed by clients for their commitment to quality service and the overall experience they provide, ensuring a "WOW Factor" for every event. Aguilera said, “the key is customer service, that’s what keeps bringing the clients back.” Their attention to detail and artistic approach sets them apart, they calibrate balloons down to 5 inches and use high-quality materials to withstand desert heat. Palacio said, “our balloons stay up all day, even on super-hot days in Del Rio, they never popped.”

They have built lasting relationships, witnessing their clients' families grow over the years. Palacio noted the heartwarming experience of serving families through multiple milestones. He said, “we have clients where we have done the gender reveal for the mother and now we are onto the 4th birthday party for the kiddo.” Palacio and Aguilera one day look forward to starting their own family together. Other future possibilities may include franchising, as they have received inquiries about this possibility.