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In this heart-forward episode of So THIS Happened…, Jen and Rachel sit down with longtime friend and event planner extraordinaire Jovana Vu at GROW Plant Bar to talk about collaboration, trust and what it really means to build something with the people you love.

From planning Jen’s wedding to launching Vu Events as a brand, Jovana shares how working with intention — not hustle — has shaped her business, her marriage and her future.

This one is about partnership done right. ✨

🌿 In This Episode, We Talk About:

• How Vu Events began (and why a terrible wedding experience sparked it)
  
  
  
• Why collaboration has always been Jovana’s secret sauce
  
  
  
• The power of referrals and word-of-mouth growth
  
  
  
• Working in hospitality to learn the inner workings of events
  
  
  
• Why trusting your vendors is non-negotiable
  
  
  
• Protecting your relationship while building a business together
  
  
  
• Tony joining Vu Events with DJ + Karaoke services 🎤
  
  
  
• The importance of boundaries to prevent burnout
  
  
  
• Choosing the people you can “do the hard things with”
  
  
  
• What makes the perfect event unforgettable
  
  

✨ Standout Moments

“Choose the people you can do the hard things with.”
A reminder that collaboration isn’t about ease — it’s about trust under pressure.

From Planning to the Party.
Vu Events is expanding to offer DJ services and karaoke alongside event planning — a seamless experience from timeline to dance floor.

The Echo.
Every event leaves an echo.
What does it sound like? What does it feel like? What memory lingers after the lights go down?

That concept alone is worth a re-listen.

🎉 Rapid-Fire Recap

• Collaboration = Creativity
  
  
  
• Working with your partner = Peace
  
  
  
• The perfect event night = An Echo
  
  

🪩 About Our Guest

Jovana Vu
Founder of Vu Event Planning, Jovana has been in the event world for nearly 20 years. Known for her calm presence, strong vendor relationships and intentional approach, she specializes in events that feel deeply personal and beautifully executed.

Now expanding into DJ and karaoke services alongside her husband Tony, Vu Events is entering a new era — and we are here for it.

🔗 Website: https://www.vueventplanning.com/
📱 Follow: @vueventplanning

💫 Also Mentioned

• Digital Wichita
  
  
• The Tallgrass Film Festival
  
  
  
• Ballet Wichita (10% of profits from “Messy Is My Polish” merch line supports them 💛) Here’s the link: https://www.bonfire.com/messy-is-my-polished/
  
  

👕 Merch Shoutout

We’re wearing our “Uncorked & Slightly Unhinged” and “Messy Is My Polish” pieces in this episode.

Support the pod. Support local arts. Stay a little unhinged. Grab yours here: https://www.bonfire.com/store/so-this-happened-store/

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Love Letters to the Self, the City and the Night (with GHOSTGIRL)

This Valentine’s-week episode is a love letter — not to romance, but to self-trust, community and creative courage.

Recorded on location at Odd Fellow Hall, Jen and Rachel are joined by Wichita-based DJ and producer GHOSTGIRL for a conversation that drifts from Galentine’s celebrations to late-night creativity, sensuality on your own terms and the power of building the rooms you wish existed.

With red heart sunglasses firmly in place for a Valentine’s edition of This or That, this episode balances playfulness with depth — and reminds us that choosing yourself can be both soft and bold.

✨ In This Episode, We Talk About:

• Why Galentine’s is more than an alternative to Valentine’s — it’s an act of intentional connection
• Hosting community-focused events and what it means to curate joy
• Creating safe, expressive spaces for women and femmes
• Sensuality as authentic connection — not performance
• Navigating social anxiety while building a public creative life
• Vulnerability as the gateway to real community
• Finding your people through music, art and shared energy
• Why experimental synthpop feels like home
• Letting your art be a love letter to the night
• Building multi-day experiences and festivals rooted in belonging

💗 This or That: Valentine’s Edition

(Yes, with red heart sunglasses)

• Candlelight vs neon lights
• Getting dressed up vs dressing for comfort
• Hosting the party vs being the guest

Equal parts chaos, honesty and laughter.

🎶 About GHOSTGIRL

GHOSTGIRL is a Wichita-based DJ and producer whose work blends synth-forward sounds with experimental textures and emotional depth. Rooted in community-building and self-authored expression, her work spans DJ sets, original music, curated events and collaborative festivals that center connection, inclusivity and creative freedom.

🗓️ Upcoming Events & Projects

💘 Galentine’s at Odd Fellow Hall
📍 Odd Fellow Hall
📅 February 20
⏰ Doors at 7 PM | Event 8 PM–Midnight - Get Tickets Here

An all-women and femmes-forward Galentine’s celebration featuring:

• Multiple DJs
• Local women-owned vendors
• Curated cocktails
• Food, art and community energy

🔥 Valentine’s Night with ICT Pole
📅 February 14
A sensual, high-energy evening blending DJ sets, pole performances and embodied expression.

🎧 New Music on the Way
An upcoming experimental synthpop project featuring collaborations with local artists — music that lives somewhere between dance floor and midnight reflection.

🎉 Mini Music Festival at Lion’s Lounge
📍 Lion’s Lounge
📅 April 18–19 (4/20 weekend)
A two-day, genre-spanning festival featuring DJs, bands, rappers, vendors and a whole lot of community love.

🥂 Final Toast

This episode is for anyone who has ever felt awkward, underestimated or unsure — and chose to show up anyway.
For the artists, the hosts, the dancers, the curators and the community-builders.
For love letters that aren’t about romance.

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Guest: Kari, Founder of Happy Camper Hat Company
Recorded at: Bubbles Champagne Bar inside The Workroom (Ballroom Collective)

Crafting. Community. Champagne.
In this joyful, hands-on episode, Jen and Rachel sip bubbles with Kari of Happy Camper Hat Company and explore why so many of us are craving analogue creativity again — the kind that pulls us off our phones and back into the moment.

From DIY hat-making and pop-culture patches to feminist values, happy accidents and the magic of making something together, this conversation is a love letter to creativity, nostalgia and finding your people.

✨ What We Talk About

• Why crafting and “analogue joy” feel so refreshing in a screen-heavy world
• How Happy Camper Hat Company became the only all-DIY hat bar in the country
• Letting go of perfection and embracing happy accidents
• Pop culture, inside jokes and why patches spark instant connection
• Hosting birthday parties, bachelorettes and group hangs at Happy Camper
• The power of making something tangible you can wear, gift or remember
• Building community inside the Ballroom Collective at The Workroom
• Creating with intention, values and voice — not neutrality

🧢 This or That: Craft Edition Highlights

• Hot glue gun > sewing machine (with a surprising amount of emotional backstory)
• Champagne crafting > coffee crafting
• Happy accidents > perfect placement
• Vibes only > Pinterest inspiration
• Bold bases > neutral bases (in hats and in life)

💡 Notable Moments & One-Liners

• “What’s going to bring you joy today?”
• Crafting as a form of rebellion against constant scrolling
• The joy of watching someone put 15 patches on one hat — unapologetically
• Why dog bandanas unlocked something magical for guests
• The beauty of leaving with a memory you can wear
• “Messy is our polish.”

🌈 A Brand With a Voice

Kari shares the inspiration behind Not Neutral, a new civic-minded hat line from Happy Camper Hat Company.
Each hat gives wearers a way to express their values — with $10 from every hat benefiting the Kansas ACLU — proving that creativity and community care can go hand in hand.

🥂 Events & What’s Coming Up

• Galentine’s at The Workroom (Feb 13): DJs, piercings, pop-ups and Happy Camper’s Slip & Sip — custom sherpa slippers + champagne
• Ongoing DIY crafting — hats, jackets, bags, dog bandanas and more
• Private group reservations available (birthdays, bachelorettes, just-because hangs)

📍 Visit & Create

🧢 Happy Camper Hat Company
📍 Upstairs in the Ballroom Collective at The Workroom
🕰️ Open 7 days a week
🌐 happycamperhatco.com (tutorials, reservations, event info)

🥂 Bubbles Champagne Bar downstairs for the perfect pre- or post-craft sip

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