Lucy Hale Says Pretty Little Liars Reunion with Sasha Pieterse and Ashley Benson 'Made My Night' (Exclusive)

Lucy Hale was as happy as Pretty Little Liars fans were to reunite with Ashley Benson and Sasha Pieterse this week.

On Wednesday, Oct. 23, Hale ran into Benson and Pieterse at the 2024 WIF Max Mara Face of the Future event, and the following day at the InStyle Imagemaker Awards, she tells PEOPLE how that viral PLL reunion photo came to be.

"I was so happy to see them. I mean, you never know who you’re going to run into at these things, but you always assume it’s gonna be your friends," Hale, 35, says. "I saw Sasha first and then I saw Ashley, and it’s great. I love those girls, and it’s always amazing when we can gather to be in the same place."

Hale didn't know that Benson, 34, and Pieterse, 28, would be at the event ahead of time, which made the surprise reunion even sweeter.

'We’re always like, 'We have to do a proper reunion!'" she says. "It was quick — short and sweet — but it made my night."

The trio "were talking about their kids," Hale shares, referring to Benson's 8-month-old daughter Aspen, who she welcomed in February with husband Brandon Davis, and Pieterse's soon-to-be 4-year-old son Hendrix, who she shares with husband Hudson Scheaffer.

Benson is more of a new mom, which she told PEOPLE in June, four months after Aspen was born, has "been very fun."

Dressing her daughter up has been a highlight particularly, as she said, “She's mostly in little cute onesies and stuff, but we're taking her on vacation at the end of the summer, so I have all of her little dresses and the accessories. I mean, it's so much fun. Having a girl is the best.”

Pieterse, meanwhile, reflected on motherhood in a candid Mother's Day post on Instagram as she called it "my greatest gift."

"It has taught me so much about myself, and the joy of seeing Hendrix grow is irreplaceable. Grateful for our little family and to have such an amazing partner by my side, @hudsonsheaffer ❤️."

Both Pieterse and Hale shared the photos of the sweet reunion on Instagram.

"I’ll just leave this right here…🥹," Hale wrote alongside a post that also featured a few solo shots of her monochrome look. "Last night with @maxmara & @womeninfilmla 🦋."

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Pieterse shared a shot of just her and Hale and a few solo shots along with the trio photo in her post, which she captioned, "Girls night ✨ ."