diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/log-retention-provider/index.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/log-retention-provider/index.ts
index 4af3302d74374..56d71ea19cd68 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/log-retention-provider/index.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/lib/log-retention-provider/index.ts
@@ -49,9 +49,16 @@ export async function handler(event: AWSLambda.CloudFormationCustomResourceEvent
         // group for this function should already exist at this stage because we
         // already logged the event but due to the async nature of Lambda logging
         // there could be a race condition. So we also try to create the log group
-        // of this function first.
-        await createLogGroupSafe(`/aws/lambda/${context.functionName}`);
-        await setRetentionPolicy(`/aws/lambda/${context.functionName}`, 1);
+        // of this function first. If multiple LogRetention constructs are present
+        // in the stack, they will try to act on this function's log group at the
+        // same time. This can sometime result in an OperationAbortedException. To
+        // avoid this and because this operation is not critical we catch all errors.
+        try {
+          await createLogGroupSafe(`/aws/lambda/${context.functionName}`);
+          await setRetentionPolicy(`/aws/lambda/${context.functionName}`, 1);
+        } catch (e) {
+          console.log(e);
+        }
       }
     }
 
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/test.log-retention-provider.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/test.log-retention-provider.ts
index 86ced0d4226b7..385f95f1dd613 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/test.log-retention-provider.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/aws-lambda/test/test.log-retention-provider.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+import AWSSDK = require('aws-sdk');
 import AWS = require('aws-sdk-mock');
 import nock = require('nock');
 import { Test } from 'nodeunit';
@@ -227,4 +228,38 @@ export = {
 
     test.done();
   },
+
+  async 'does not fail when operations on provider log group fail'(test: Test) {
+    const createLogGroupFake = (params: AWSSDK.CloudWatchLogs.CreateLogGroupRequest) => {
+      if (params.logGroupName === '/aws/lambda/provider') {
+        return Promise.reject(new Error('OperationAbortedException'));
+      }
+      return Promise.resolve({});
+    };
+
+    const putRetentionPolicyFake = sinon.fake.resolves({});
+    const deleteRetentionPolicyFake = sinon.fake.resolves({});
+
+    AWS.mock('CloudWatchLogs', 'createLogGroup', createLogGroupFake);
+    AWS.mock('CloudWatchLogs', 'putRetentionPolicy', putRetentionPolicyFake);
+    AWS.mock('CloudWatchLogs', 'deleteRetentionPolicy', deleteRetentionPolicyFake);
+
+    const event = {
+      ...eventCommon,
+      RequestType: 'Create',
+      ResourceProperties: {
+          ServiceToken: 'token',
+          RetentionInDays: '30',
+          LogGroupName: 'group'
+      }
+    };
+
+    const request = createRequest('SUCCESS');
+
+    await provider.handler(event as AWSLambda.CloudFormationCustomResourceCreateEvent, context);
+
+    test.equal(request.isDone(), true);
+
+    test.done();
+  }
 };