In June 2023, Charley celebrated her hen party at the gorgeous Norfolk House in Yorkshire, where they held a dinner with a private chef with a fabulous second-hand theme.

Charley’s Charity Shopping Wedding was such a gorgeous idea that we had to ask her more about it!

AS: Hey Charley! Thank you so much for chatting to me and firstly, congratulations on your wedding. How are you feeling now it’s all happened?

CS: Thank you! Feeling a bit sad now it’s all over - it was such a lovely day we really wish we could do it all again! Thankfully we are planning our honeymoon for next year so at least we have something to look forward to!

AS: We love weddings but we’re really here to talk about your hen do! Can you tell me about what you did?

CS: As mentioned I went to Norfolk House with some friends and family. We absolutely loved the gorgeous Georgian holiday home and it’s perfectly designed for hen parties! We had the charity shop themed night with the private chef when we arrived then played rounders, had afternoon tea and funeral chic celebrations with cocktails and party games the following day!

“[my Maid of Honour] didn’t want to choose a theme where everyone had to go out and spend loads more money on an outfit so thought the charity shop theme was much more affordable”

AS: I absolutely loved the charity shop theme you had - do you know why your bridesmaid Marianne chose that theme for your hen?

CS: Everything is getting so expensive at the moment and Marianne didn’t want to choose a theme where everyone had to go out and spend loads more money on an outfit so thought the charity shop theme was much more affordable. She also liked that once we had worn our outfits we could just donate it all back!

AS: Is shopping second-hand something that’s important to you in general?

CS: Not so much in the past but I certainly look at second hand items now. I am really into designer things, in particular handbags and with the cost of living now I tend to look at second hand handbags - not only that but it’s nice to know it’s more sustainable.

AS: I know that Charlotte from Norfolk House is very responsible in being sustainable for her guests (we even spoke to her about it here!). What other aspects of your hen did you find were mindful of sustainability?

CS: We tried not to use any single use plastics. For example we did have straws but we bought paper straws, I made little gift bags for everyone but made sure they were paper bags and nothing in there was plastic and anything personalised that Marianne and the bridesmaids had made they tried to make sure it was something we could use again such as sunglasses. And of course we made sure to recycle all the empty bottles of Prosecco!

AS: And last, 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?

CS: A charity that is close to my heart is a charity local to me, Oakwood Dog Rescue. They are a charity based in Hull that specialise in rehoming ex street dogs from overseas. We adopted our rescue dog Zeus, who is originally from Greece, from Oakwood. They do a fantastic job at looking after the dogs and working with them so they are prepared to go and live in a home. They have a few charity shops in the area so I would steal Marianne’s charity shop chic theme but everyone would have to buy something from one of Oakwood’s charity shops - helping the charity and being mindful of sustainability!