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8 Unexpected Ways to Use Taskrabbit for your Wedding or Next Event + a Promo Code!

Use Code: LARA10 for $10 off a Taskrabbit service through 2/17/23

Yup, that’s right, Taskrabbit. I literally don’t think I could have planned my wedding without them and undoubtably were the unsung heroes of my wedding. 

As many of you know I planned my wedding in under 2.5 months and in one of the busiest years as everyone (and their mother), who had to wait 2 years during the pandemic was ready to tie the knot. With that I knew every hotel and conventional wedding venue would be booked, and frankly (in case you didn’t notice…), I like to do things my way and wanted to plan something that hadn’t been done before so nothing about a DIY wedding intimidated me. 

Except for staffing. 

Literally every part of my wedding was done by me or my friends. I picked and planned everything. My planner was me, my day of coordinator, was my college bestie, my officiant, my best friend, my stylist(s), my favorite friends, my florist, my insanely talented friend who completely understood my wants and created an even more perfect vision then I could have imagined. The singers, my Broadway besties… (You get my point). When I say every part except for staffing was a talented friend, I mean it. And even with that I felt completely in control with Taskrabbit over who I was hiring. 

Taskrabbit tasker Javerick J. lighting candles and setting up my wedding venue.

Here are 8 ways I used Taskrabbit for an Event:

**Keep in mind each person wore multiple hats. Your setup person can also be your door person the first hour, and then go into being your caterer or clean up person. 

  1. Set up – We used a raw space so I gave a loose outline of what I wanted where, but relied on my day of coordinator to work with them and make decisions on the space.  They handled everything from chair setup, tablescapes to helping arrange the flower vases around the space, unpack boxes, set up the bar, platters … to probably a ton of other things I probably don’t even know about.
  2. A Runner – inevitably someone needs tape, something printed, ice or something immediately. Having petty cash and someone who can do a quick deli or drugstore run is key. Also, I consider this under ‘set-up’ but separating it for anyone that uses the app and wants to list ‘protentional job includes these tasks…’ I should note that my wedding was located in Union Square, NYC where these stores are walking distance, which is an important distinction since my Taskers were not required to have a car. I did hire pickup people, where I did note a car was required but not for this task. 
  3. Door Person – For both my wedding and the next day friends party reception, I hired a door person to make the entry and elevator process seamless. While we didn’t necessarily need a ‘door person’, at least for the first hour it made all the difference to have someone opening the door and welcoming my guests. I also then had the door person handle my food deliveries. I did the food delivery in 2 parts, appetizers would arrive 45 min before the wedding started, so it would be put out when guests arrived and then for the cocktail hour. And in a risky move, I had the dinner arrive during the ceremony to the door person so it could be prepped during the cocktail hour and put out as soon it was ready to the buffet station. Food is often cold at weddings or tastes ‘heated up’, but not at my wedding (although I did have multiple ovens in the space just in case)!
  4. Coat check – For the first hour I wanted guests greeted when they got off the elevator and help in case, they wanted their coats hung. 
  5. Catering/Bartender – I didn’t use formal caterers, I ordered catering from my husband and my favorite restaurants and I used Taskers that mentioned handling food/catering experience in their profiles. I had pre-rented platters and ordered off catering menus from local restaurants so they were instructed to put them on platters and plates and organize everything accordingly. As for Bartenders, Taskrabbit has a full list of ones with incredible experience (I used Joe, his contact is at the bottom of this post). He asked in advance if we wanted a specialty cocktail and took care of everything for me. I also gave him a team but wanted one really specialized person in charge of running the show.
  6. Pick up/drop off – The amount of people I hired with cars… First off you have to specify if you need a car or not. Some of the wedding Taskers helped load/unload but for the most part I needed a wide net of drivers at different times over two days. While my main catered food was delivered, I wanted some specialty items that were out of the coverage zone of the restaurants we love. They did everything from picking up my food both days to transferring items from my wedding venue to the next day party venue, everything from the florals, vases, alcohol, décor. I don’t know why I thought I could handle any of this in my car but even same day I was making bookings for drivers as I did not want to lift a finger and everything went perfectly.
  7. Clean-up/break down – I might have tortured my crew on this task. My rentals were being picked up the night of my wedding so the pressure was on to get all the dishes washed and put back in boxes, chairs folded and overall space broken down for pickup. They also handled organizing all my items being used the next day for my reception/after party for pick-up and cleaning up the space. Don’t worry I tipped well. If your tasker does the job of two people tip them accordingly. My crew didn’t complain once, they all worked together and so hard and got it done, as I said, they were my unsung heroes of the night.
  8. Cleaning – Taskrabbit has a vast list of cleaners, I got a great girl who took care of my rehearsal space and then staff to clean the venue.

Tips for using Taskrabbit:

  1. The App is incredibly user friendly – you can search tasks, pick dates or leave the date open and then get a list of people in your area available during your times, as well as their rates, ratings and reviews. You can also list any needs you maybe didn’t see in the description so anyone accepting the job knows the full scope. It’s important to be fully transparent.
  2. Read the reviews – when it came to selecting my on-sight Taskers, I picked people that had reviews about how they were flexible, hardworking, worked well with others and lovely to be around. I also took into account how many reviews they had. Anyone with 50+ great reviews made me feel super confident. I needed flexible, positive individuals as they were interfacing with my guests and other Taskrabbit individuals for the first time. When it came to delivery people, all I cared about was that they were on time and reliable. The rest was negligible. 
  3. Judge people not price – This goes with the above, read reviews, not just the price. I get the temptation to pick the person that’s $5-$20 cheaper an hour but if their reviews aren’t great, it’s not worth the stress. Especially, if you’re hiring someone who takes twice as long. With any user generated app, you get a mix of talent, and there were definitely reviews that detoured me from thinking they were a good match for my wedding. I can tell you all of mine were outstanding, professionals with a lot of experience and by taking a few minutes to check each of them out, I had my dream team. 
  4. The chat feature is key! –  Once you hire someone, you get to chat with them through there messenger feature. That was enormously helpful as it allowed me to get to know them a bit, tell them what I needed and more about the event. It also gives you a sense on if they’re a good fit and you can cancel if not. Certain people I wanted for just one job ie the specialized bartender, others I made a list of what help we needed and if they could fill in depending on the timeline. I also specified things like the venue is 1 level, there’s no heavy lifting… as it is important to be on the same page. The chat feature was also super helpful as it kept me organized so I had all my workers in one place instead of in my email or phone text. Leading up to the wedding were so disorganized, so this helped.
  5. Not everyone has to be hired at the same time. I had the bartender come an hour before the wedding to help setup the bar, but hired a set up crew 3 hours before so all the alcohol would be in the correct area for the bartender and also the space would be set up. I also hired some day-of people the next day to help me pick things up as I completely underestimated how much help I’d need getting items from my wedding venue to the next day party venue (as well as home).  
  6. Organize your helpers – Once I had everyone’s name and understanding of their talents, I made a list for my day-of coordinator of who I saw working where and who was the most willing to do whatever. I also gave her access to my account so she our conversations and could message with them and be their day-of contact. 
  7. Ask for recommendations. Anyone that’s uses Taskrabbit can share profiles. I’ve shared the profiles of my Taskers with several people needing help with an event, but you can also ask the people you’ve hired to share profiles and Tasker suggestions. A lot of Taskrabbit people have worked with others and are very willing to help.

My team worked completely in tandem. I was super clear that I wanted a fun, loving, and laid-back environment and I also wanted them to have fun and feel comfortable. While I definitely underestimated the number of things that would come up, they all completely rose to the task, and as event experts were able to work with my day of coordinator to make the day perfect. 

Sometimes you need a crew that can just ‘figure it out’ and while I gave a loose itinerary of the day: pick-ups, drop offs and schedule of the night, I had to turn my type A personality off and just focus on being the bride and they made it happen!  Also, I have since reused them for other events I hosted and can’t even put into the words the stress they saved me. My wedding also had a focus around sustainability and shopping small, local business, and considering you’re helping local workers felt right. It’s also a lot more budget friendly than hiring a service you know nothing about including how they treat/pay their workers.

As for my Taskers, here’s who I recommend. I’m also noting who I’ve since used on repeat.

Javerick J. (used multiple times) – events superstar (skills include: cleaning, decoration, deep clean, delivery, errands, event staffing, moving, personal assistant, yard work, waiting in line…). https://tr.co/javerick-j

Ursula B (used multiple times) – events superstar (skills include: delivery, errands, event staffing and personal assistant). https://tr.co/ursula-b–3

Joe L. (used multiple times) – amazing bartender (skills include: delivery, event staffing/8+years bartending/cocktail making, furniture assembly, help moving). https://tr.co/joe-l–17

Lina G. – excellent home/space cleaner (skills include: cleaning, deep clean and packing/unpacking). https://tr.co/lina-g–4

Brian B. – Driver/Mover came with a large moving truck. https://tr.co/brian-b–113

I will continue to update my list of go-to Taskers!

For $10 off your next Taskrabbit use code LARA10.

Art Basel Miami Diaries

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Every year I look forward to going to Miami for Art Basel. It’s been nice in NYC as of late but usually by this time it’s freezing and I’m itching for the beach and some warm weather. And Art Basel is the most fun time to visit Miami! There are art shows happening non-stop (not just Art Basel, but Scope, NADA, Pulse and many others), plus so many brands are out throwing parties. And it’s a great meeting point for bloggers across the country, I love seeing everyone in Miami!

I traveled with Kristi from Currently Crushing, Joel from What Do Men Wear and my bad a$$ makeup artist bestie, Jenny Smith. We stayed at the cutest boutique hotel, The Beacon on 7th and Collins, which is a very central part of South Beach.

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We covered a lot of ground in our 5 day trip with so many exciting parties and events. We met so many amazing people and saw incredible art throughout the week. One of my favorite events included a piece of art, I got to take home… my eye! LensCrafters hosted an amazing private brunch at the The Delano hotel to celebrate art and their CLAIFYE Digital Technology — basically it’s an eye exam where they scan your eyes to detect your prescription. No more crazy drops and blurred vision, it’s a total game changer — I did a few months ago (check out my experience HERE). If you’re overdue for an eye exam, definitely read that article before making an appointment. The event also featured artist Jose Vergara, who specializes in drawing eyes, how amazing is the one he did of mine!?!?!

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Style Icon and my dear friend, Patricia Field was out in Miami doing a series of events and fashion shows to promote her ArtFashion initiative. Featuring one of a kind pieces hand painted by some of her top artists on display at the White Dot Gallery, you can view the current collection on her site: patriciafield.com

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Wilmer Valderrama or as I like to call him Fez from That 70s Show! (I also loved him in From Prada to Nada), hosted Men’s Night Out for Macy’s private label, INC at The Oasis at The Raleigh Hotel. Lets just say there were a lot of good looking guys, a trampeline and open bar, which is pretty much the perfect recipe for fun.

Oprah’s Favorite Things 2016 Announced

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Christmas just got real! Earlier this week I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peek of the Oprah’s Favorite Things list and O, The Oprah Magazine December issue.

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Hosted by Oprah’s right and left arm, Gayle King and Adam Glassman, there’s literally something for everyone on your holiday list and at all different price points. This is the publications biggest list ever and the experience of having Gayle and Adam present them was so fun! That and every time they gave something out to the audience! While we did not get a car (you get a car, you get a car…), we did walk away with so many cool travel, pet, home, kitchen items that I’m so excited we can finally share with you!

Alice Through The Looking Glass with Costume Designer Colleen Atwood

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This week I did nothing but pack and try to get ready for the 4 trips I have coming up, starting with Lisbon on Monday! I did such a good job packing and getting all the forms — and multiple vet, office, airport visits — to bring Charlie with me (it just costs as much as a human ticket in certifications and fees and two days of your time but no biggie) that I decided to reward myself with taking the morning off from adulting to join Disney and ahem, costume designer, Colleen Atwood for a tea party in celebration of Alice Through the Looking Glass, which comes out on DVD and Blu-Ray this Tuesday, October 18th. I brought my sister and Charlie since we’re all huge Alice fans, and had a blast in the photobooth — Charlie steals the show as the Cheshire Cat.

Sephora Now Offers FREE Classes for Teens!

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Calling all teenagers (and adults)! Sephora Teen has made it easy for you to dive head first into the world of beauty with confidence.  Sephora offers beauty classes for all — how to apply lashes, no-makeup up, contouring and their latest a class for teens!

Starting a beauty ritual can seem overwhelming with so many exciting products to choose from. So Sephora is introducing a brand new class dedicated entirely on educating teens on how to look and feel their best. The 90 minute Teen Makeup Class focuses on finding the perfect products in a pressure free environment where teens can feel comfortable exploring and learning with the help of Sephora’s expert coaches. Whether they want to learn an easy everyday look, or they are trying to broaden their makeup knowledge, Sephora is the place to go to for getting an education in a comfortable environment.

Join Donna Karan and Kelly Ripa for Super Saturday

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Every year Super Saturday sneaks up on me and I’m out of town for it, which is why I’ve circled it ten times over in my planner to be there this year! For many of you that have attended in the past you know it’s a massive designer discounted shopping event, hosted in the Hamptons by the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund Alliance’s (OCRFA) with the proceeds benefiting the cause.

Founded by Donna Karan, she will host the event alongside Kelly Ripa and Gabby Karan de Felice. This event marks the 19th annual Super Saturday NY and last year alone, OCRF’s Super Saturday NY and “QVC Presents Super Saturday LIVE” raised over $3.4million for Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Super Saturday NY will take place on Saturday, July 30, 2016, at Nova’s Ark Project in Water Mill, New York from 1:00PM – 6:00PM with a special preview hour beginning at noon.

The massive designer sale will feature designers discounted merchandise from nearly 150 prominent participants including DKNY, Ralph Lauren, VINCE., Bonpoint, Henri Bendel, MILLY, Shoshanna, Theory, alice + olivia, Brooks Brothers, Kiehl’s Since 1851, L’AGENCE, Calypso St. Barth and SoulCycle.

In addition to shopping luxury brands at deep discounts, OCRFA’s Super Saturday NY attendees will enjoy an afternoon of

Add this to the NYC to-do list: Samsung 837 Experience

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If you haven’t visited the Samsung’s flagship store, 837 in the Meatpacking district, add it to your list. Especially if you have people in town visiting. It’s an experiential space (as in they don’t sell merchandise or do repairs), where you purely go to experience and test out all the Samsung offerings and virtual reality launches. And also hosting an amazing series of events! I was totally booked Thursday night and am devastated I missed Diplo performing. Although Charlie did get to meet Jeremy Scott and Paris Hilton thanks to our friends at Moroccanoil and the Daily Front Row so rest assured we had our reasons. Although I die for breathing the same air as that hunk.

In addition to the amazing lineup of chefs, artists and creatives they have coming through the store is all of the experiences inside including the virtual reality roller coaster — where you put the VR headset on and sit in a moving chair that makes you feel like you’re on the real thing. There’s also a photobooth that pixilates and reflects your image over the giant screen in the store — you can see below mine with my dad from when he visited New York.

The Makeup Show NY Opens Doors May 1st

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The countdown to one of the most anticipated beauty industry events of the year starts now! Back for its 11th year and follow the success of the 10th anniversary in 2015, The Makeup Show event lineup is bigger and better – if that’s even possible! Mark your calendars for April 29 – May 2nd because here’s what we have to look forward to:

The Makeup Show Gala will be held Friday, April 29 from 7-10 pm and will shed light onto the next ten years by looking back into the past. Celebrating David Bowie, this year’s contest and theme will be “Sound and Vision” and guests are encouraged to arrive in either cocktail attire or their “Bowie-best” (lightening bolt makeup encouraged) to enjoy an evening of cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, dancing and networking.

The Keynote & Business Forum is a staple for The Makeup Show and will highlight a range of topics and themes such as innovation, diversity and signature celebrity style. This year’s keynotes include Scott Barnes, sharing insight on “The Signature Style of a Celebrity Artist”, Nick Lujan and Lori Taylor, Hosted by James Vincent discussing “The Skin That I’m In: Diversity in Artistry and Application” and Gregory Arlt on his career in makeup.

The Career Fair is back Sunday, May 1 from 4:30-6 pm to provide the face-to-face interview and career tips you need to land your dream job.

Finish off the weekend with the Beauty Tour NYC as James Vincent, The Makeup Show’s Director of Artistry and Education takes you through a champs filled ride around the city sightseeing his favorite makeup haunts.

The Makeup Show YC is held on Sunday, May 1st from 9 am – 6 pm and on Monday, May 2nd from 9 am-5 pm at Metropolitan Pavilion. For a complete schedule and ticket information visit themakeupshow.com.

Two Things You Should Do This Weekend: New York Auto Show + Patricia Field Gallery

Patricia Field, Scooter Laforge
At the opening with Patricia Field and featured artist Scooter Laforge

Yes, I know it’s Easter so go to church, do an egg hunt, spend time with your family… And if that isn’t on the agenda there are two great events happening in NYC.

At the opening wearing a custom Scooter Laforge shirt
At the opening wearing a custom Scooter Laforge shirt

1. Patricia Field Art / Fashion Gallery exhibition at Howl! Happenings gallery, 6 East 1st Street in NYC from March 25th – 27th

Fashion legend, Patricia Field is hosting the Patricia Field Art / Fashion Gallery exhibition at Howl! Happenings gallery. All of the one-of-a-kind Art Fashion pieces on display at the exhibit are for sale and can be viewed at patriciafield.com.IMG_3171IMG_3172

In case you can’t make the exhibition here’s a video of the fashion art and designers on display: https://vimeo.com/159148639/4f499b53e9

2. New York Auto Show, Javits Centter, NYC from March 25 – April 3

I got a preview of the New York Auto Show for their girls night out event and there are some serious beauties on the blog from every major car brand. Be the first to see the models before they become available.

We mainly toured Toyota, Nissan and Genesis and got the 411 on some new models. For starters I learned that the Toyota Corolla is the #1 best selling car worldwide. For the 50th anniversary of the Corolla they are coming out with a new edition. My family has owned one so we’re part of the statistic. In fact my mom recently gave hers up to get a Toyota Prius which was a hot topic for the brand showing off some new beauties (if you saw my snapchat I was touring the new models).

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Nissan refreshed their most popular GT-R series to debut the 2017 supercar edition with performance upgrades and new features (you can learn all about it HERE).

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Lastly, Hyundai wowed with their Genesis “New York” Concept, which was the sentiments behind everyone looking at this breathe taking beautiful car. It also happens to be the title of this article where you can read all about this new model. IMG_3173

In honor of the Auto Show, I thought I would share this awesome video Mode created looking back on 100 years of cars!

What’s your favorite car? xoLara

Weekend Must Do: Creed Collective #CCPOP Holiday Charity Pop Up Shop

CCPOP_InviteBrandsIf you’re in NYC this weekend, the 
Creeds Collective will pop open its doors for a 3-day #CCPOP Holiday Charity Pop Up shopping event in NYC’s Meatpacking District from Friday December 11th – Sunday the 13th. In partnership Redbird Gallery, located directly across the way from the Whitney Museum, the 2nd annual holiday gift emporium will feature Men’s and Women’s brands across accessories, beauty, grooming, home, lifestyle, food and wellness categories – integrated among an array of outrageous activities and lounges.

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There are so many amazing brands participating including Theory of Gaia, who’s Pin Stripe Blazer I’m wearing in the photo above. I want everything from them! I’ve also been checking out the list of other designers and there are so many cool new lines that are now on my radar.