Valley Wed Vendor Spotlight: Weehah

Meet our vendors and find out why we're not your average wedding expo.

Valley Wed is a unique wedding show offering couples a handpicked selection of exceptional wedding pros in Western Mass.  It's designed especially for couples that want to go their own way, but they don’t want to go it alone.

Meet Weehah designer, Louisa Wimberger, who offers custom stationery suites.
(Oh, and about "Weehah"...  It's a family nickname given to her
when her then-two-year-old niece couldn’t pronounce Louisa!)

When did you start your business and why do you do what you do?

It all started with a trip to Seattle in 1996. I wandered into a paper and stamp store in Pioneer Square, browsed for over an hour and bought one stamp. I used it on everything I could think of, making up reasons for something “needing” a design.

When I moved to Boston for graduate school, my studio apartment was just two blocks away from a yummy shop that sold great papers, cool inks, and lots of embellishments. I loved working on my degree but I must admit, I found myself distracted.

In 1997, I began teaching high school English and journalism. While I loved my time in the classroom, the card and custom invitation orders kept coming, mostly through word of mouth. I started selling at markets, shows, boutiques and shops and in June 2004, I left teaching to pursue my business more fully.  Twelve years later, it still feels great!

What is your very favorite part of your job?

Oh my goodness. I just love meeting with customers to design something together. What I do is often very customized so it’s not a one-size-fits-all situation - it’s much more collaborative.  There are times a person or couple will come to me and just tell me one detail about something and ask me to run with it, but much more often we play off each other a bit.  We get excited about color, wording, layouts...it brings me joy.  The whole process is so exciting!

What makes you different from other vendors in your field?

People are often surprised to know how customized something can be.  I have no minimum, changes can be made right up till the last minute and I have almost never done any invitation design more than once.  A couple might see an invitation I’ve done that inspires them, but we ALWAYS wind up changing things or heading in a different and new direction with it.  It means that their invitations are really and truly only theirs.

What would feel great knowing you'd accomplished for your client?

I love when clients feel the invitations we have designed together truly reflect the “feel” of their day, of their relationship.  I also hope my clients feel heard throughout the process,  which can be more difficult when working with an online invitation company.  It’s very personal.

Share one true gem of advice…something every couple needs to know about planning a wedding or the big day itself.

Be true to yourself! Word things how you want to word them. Play with combinations of colors you don’t always see in a bridal magazine.  Think creatively. Couples are often concerned with etiquette and how things are “supposed” to be, but I remind them that it is THEIR day, and they get to create it just how they like. Emily Post is not in charge!

Show us two things you are really proud of…your best work or highest achievement professionally and something personal that makes you happy.

Well...it was pretty exciting to make the invitations for Tim Gunn’s (of Project Runway) 60th Birthday Surprise Party in New York City.  His niece wanted a sort of “old Manhattan” theme so we went with a martini.  Apparently Tim loved them, and ordered thank-you cards with the same theme!

What makes me happy and fulfilled? As I’ve mentioned, designing and creating invitations for important events is really joyful, but I also love that my greeting cards have been out there in the world for years now.  People are still writing and addressing and putting postage stamps on envelopes, and that makes me smile. 
 
Other things that make me happy and fulfilled:
music (I sing at shows and in studios in the Boston area with various singer-songwriters)
family – I’m the youngest of five sisters!
the ocean
avocadoes
ice cream
the iced Americano at Woodstar Café
snow days