Lauren is an events planner, yoga teacher, and founder of Under The Sun Retreats. Lauren is originally from Manchester and now lives in Barcelona, via 10 years in London.

In January 2023 our founder Amy planned Lauren’s hen party in London with some of the HWH values at the heart of it - on this occasion to find a zero-waste activity that would leave Lauren’s hens with a useful and sustainable skill to take with them…

Amy sat down with Lauren to chat to her about her hen party, and what she thought. Read on to find out what this sustainable bride’s hen do included…

AS: Lauren, first of all - tell me… how was your hen party?

LB: It was such a lovely weekend, the whole thing was a complete surprise, which I loved! It combined a little bit of luxury, we stayed in the heart of east London at Shoreditch House and enjoyed cocktails in the bar and rooftop swims, but there was also a very down to earth vibe. Most of all, it was just great to see friends who I’d been missing since I moved away from London 3.5 years ago.

AS: You chose for the hen party to be held in London - were there any particular reasons for choosing that?

LB: I spent my entire twenties living, working and playing out in London and during that time I met some of the most incredible friends so I wanted to truly wave goodbye to my single life with the people who’d walked me through the tears and laughter that had come with those times.

AS: You spent a few hours learning sewing and mending skills with Fast Fashion Therapy at St. Margaret’s House - what did you think when you found out this was the activity, and how do you think your friends found it?

LB: I’d spent months trying to guess what the activity might be and naturally thought that it would be yoga or some kind of dancing activity, so it was a complete surprise! I wasn’t sure what to expect at first as I’m not naturally gifted at crafts but what I loved most about the workshop was the fact that we got to spend some quality time chatting to each other and doing something mindful. I know that the girls loved it and I heard several of them say that the hen party was the classiest hen party they’d ever been to 😄.

AS: Why do you think I chose this activity for you?

LB: Over the last few years, I’ve been trying to be much more mindful about what I buy, focusing on a couple of quality pieces and staying away from fast fashion. I’m also constantly going to the tailors to have things shortened and mended so I think you thought it would be a useful skill for me to be able to mend my own clothes.

AS: Your gorgeous veil for your hen party was rented from Favoured London. How did you feel about having rented hen party accessories?

LB: I absolutely loved it! I’d explicitly said that I didn’t want any throw away plastic or tacky accessories but I was secretly hoping that you’d get me something to make me feel like a hen! The veil was beautiful and once again, very classy!

AS: We’ve talked about your hen party, but I’d love to ask you about your wedding as well - were there any aspects in your wedding that made it a more sustainable day?

LB: For my wedding dress, I was really against the idea of buying something that I would only ever be able to wear once. I looked into a couple of brands (Pronovias being one of them) who offered options such as “second life dresses” where you turn your wedding dress into an evening gown after the big day but in the end I decided to go with a white dress from sustainable brand Reformation, which I adored and which I’ll definitely wear again. (Plus it was so much cheaper than a “real” wedding dress!)

We went shopping together for my engagement ring and both fell in love with a delicate trilogy ring from LUM ethical jewellers in our neighbourhood, Gracia. I went to several other jewellers afterwards just to be sure, but I knew from the moment I tried it, it was “the one”. It’s made from fairmined gold and has a lab-made diamond, we both loved the fact that it was ethically and sustainably made and chose to go back to have our wedding rings made there too.

The venues we chose for our celebrations were already naturally impressive and so we didn’t add any throw away decorations and even the confetti was dried flowers that wouldn’t damage the environment. These small adjustments saved us on price and it didn’t take anything away from the day itself.

AS: What does giving back to the planet mean to you day-to-day, outside of getting married?

LB: On a daily basis I try to be conscious about what we consume. I’ve been shifting away from chemicals and plastics and replacing them with more natural products and reusable bottles etc. I’m a huge ocean lover so I hate seeing the waste people leave on the beaches here in Barcelona, which eventually makes its way into the sea. I take part in beach cleans when I can and make sure that I don’t add to any of the waste.

AS: Lastly, I like to ask everyone; what’s a charitable cause that means something to you? Could you imagine a way to support them at a hen party?

LB: There’s so many causes that I care about so it’s hard to choose just one but since I just mentioned the ocean, I think a charity like The Ocean Cleanup, that works on ocean cleanups, would be a great cause. The hen group could maybe do a paddle boarding session or surf lesson and then do a beach or river clean afterwards, or donate to the ocean cleanup fund as part of the cost of the activity.