As a recent bride myself (144 days in office and the popularity polls are holding steady) I only just caught up on my sleep and unwound from the fury of wedding planning. I did it all by myself and was super proud of having done so. But behind every frazzled bride is a team of BFFs, bridesmaids, parents and bloggers to help her along the way. No bride is an island!

RunMyErrand.com is very proud to announce that we will be offering Bridal Planning assistance to area brides! Whether you are a DIY bride who doesn’t shy away from a glue gun, or a busy bee bride who doesn’t have enough time in her day to troll the wedding websites and retailers, we can help you.

From picking up BM dresses at Priscilla of Boston to compiling planning timelines to just offering ideas and support, RunMyErrand has a team of bridal planning specialists and errand Runners available at all hours. No need to hire a bridal planner (save that thousand bucks and put it toward the honeymoon!) when you’ve got RunMyErrand here to help.

You can pick and choose which planning tasks you need help with along the way without any commitment- or – You can choose from a package of 10 services that we will be compiling (like today, that’s on my to-do list) for a flat fee.

No car? Hire a Runner to take car of those wedding errands that you can’t do on foot.

No time? Hire a Runner to help you prioritize and work through the mountain of details.

Small budget? No worries. Most wedding errands cost $10-$15 (and you get your first errand free, up to $15.)

Bridal Planning packages should not cost you an arm and a leg. We can make great vendor recommendations and get you well on your way to having the most perfect wedding day ever. Take it from me. I’m a wedding planner myself, and I, along with the other planner Runners, are at the helm of this crazy bridal planning ship ready to help!

A. More time in your day to spend with your family.

Save time, spend it with your family!

RunMyErrand can save you time in a million different ways. Here are some ideas:

4. PARTY PLANNING - Let an RME Party Planner plan your child’s next birthday party, bar/bat miztvah or any fun event. We have loads of party planners on board who are ready to help. Try using us for a birthday party or sleepover (we’ll do the invites, food prep, even transportation.)

3. NUTRITIONAL MEAL PLANNING – You’ve got so much to do, meal planning is tough!  Let a Runner do your grocery shopping & make smart nutritional choices based on your specifications.  THEN, have your Runner create a custom menu for your family for the week! No more running around.  We’ll do that for you & deliver wholesome food right to your door!

2. TRANSPORTATION – How much time do you spend shuttling the kids around? Our Runners are background and safety checked and many are parents themselves! Why not hire a Runner to take Timmy and Susie to piano practice, soccer practice and tutoring twice a week so you can enjoy a little down time?

1. DAILY TO-DO’s – Pick up the dry cleaning, take the dog to the vet, return those shirts to the mall, buy diapers, drop off the donations and take the car in for an oil change. What do these chores have in common? They all take lots of time!  So why not give your to-do list to an expert Runner while you enjoy down time with your family?

RunMyErrand is so easy to use. Just sign in, post your errand and put your feet up while someone else handles the chores! It’s as easy as pie (that you and the kids baked together and took pictures of to send to the grandparents!)

Happy Almost Valentine’s Day to all!

Making new friends is fun!

Did you visit our Cupid Street Team yesterday?

We held our RunMyErrand Street Team event yesterday at Downtown Crossing with Zipcar and The Boston Ballet and are thrilled to announce that of the hundreds of entries we received, we randomly picked 4 winners to receive our Hotel Chocolat Taste of Winter Gift Box and our Grand Prize Winner who will receive a $200 Chocolate Tasting at Aroa Fine Chocolate in the South End of Boston.

Our Hotel Chocolat WINNERS are:

Mike Testa

Natalie Sunakaura

Jennifer Rogers

Rosemarie Boardman

And our GRAND PRIZE Aroa Fine Chocolate Tasting winner is:

Alexis Katramados

Congratulations to everyone who found our Cupids at Downtown Crossing! Each person who found us received a FREE ERRAND and a box of SweetTarts to keep or to share with their sweetheart. <3

Don’t forget, it’s not too late to hire one of our 200+ Cupids to deliver some Valentine’s Day love to your Shmoopy! Have you checked out all of the AWESOME Valentine’s Day Specials we are running?

Dog Food Delivery From RunMyErrand!

RME is very excited to announce that we will now be offering a Pet Food Delivery Program through Polka Dog Bakery (located in Jamaica Plain and in the South End.) Now you can have your pet food delivered directly to your door at regular weekly or monthly intervals for just $10!

So say your household pets are the following:

Fifi Von Fluffystuff (cat)

Genevive (Yellow Lab)

and Cuchi-Cuchi (mini Dachshund.)

Let’s say that you are a busy individual who is far too busy playing with said pets and watching the Puppy Bowl to leave the house to take the T across town, in the snow, uphill BOTH WAYS, to pick up nom-noms and LARGE bags of food for said pets. Having to do all of this every 2 weeks is, as the French say, LAME.

Let us do the heavy lifting! Simply fill out an order slip (available at Polka Dog Locations, stop in or call). Fill in the types of dog food Genevive likes, the exact cat food and cat litter Fifi loves and the little extras that Cuchi-Cuchi enjoys (chewie nom-noms). Then tell us how often you want this delivered and POOF! An RME Runner will deliver everything right to your door every week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks or 6 weeks, depending on how much Cuchi-Cuchi eats.

Your credit card is kept on file and delivery is only $10. Orders over $75 get 10% off of their entire order.

Polka Dog Bakery offers loads of brands of dog and cat food, such as Solid Gold, Nutro and Wellness, as well as cat litter, dog treats and waste bags. Don’t miss out on time that could better be spent at the puppy park. We’ll handle this chore for you.

Raise your paw if you like this idea!

So maybe you don’t like Valentine’s Day. Maybe you would rather not be the lucky recipient of a 2lb box of off-brand laxative-like chocolates this year. Maybe Cupid never returned your phone calls. Whatever the reason, we’re here to help. Let us be your Cupid this year!

Top 5 Ways to Treat Yourself on Valentine’s Day:

5. If you are a parent on-the-go treat your little munchkins to a Valentine’s Day gift from Magic Beans at their new location in Cambridge. While you’re there, enter their Raffle for loads of awesome prizes. The bonus? All Raffle winners get their prize delivered directly to their door by an RME Runner!

Cost: Free Raffle.

Pamper Level: You are your child’s first Valentine.

4. Take your pooch to Polka Dog Bakery to buy him or her a much deserved Valentine treat. Go hang out with the other dog-lovers that pop in and out of the puppy bakery. And who knows, you never know where you might meet a new Valentine. While you’re there, sign up for the RME Pet Food and Treats Replenishment Program to have dog food automatically delivered right to your door. Fido and Kobe need their nom-noms.

Cost: $10 for delivery of nom-noms.

Pamper Level: You’ll get loads of sloppy puppy kisses.

3. For a little something special, stop off at Essence on Newbury Street to make your own custom-blended perfume, or choose from the essential oil version of any popular fragrance. What’s better than a unique scent that you’ve created? Master Nose, Julian Harding, will help you blend a long-lasting fragrance. 1/4 ounce bottles (when used every day will last approximately 1 year) cost $20-$80 depending on how many ingredients you use. But you know that Shirley from the office will be green with jealousy over your one-of-a-kind scent.

Cost: $20-$80.

Pamper Level: The sweet smell of success + lavender + white tea = a very high pamper level.

2. Have flowers delivered to yourself from Twig in the South End a la Cher from Clueless. Select a gorgeous arrangement and have it delivered to your office on Friday with some pomp and splendor provided by a Runner Cupid. The water cooler will be buzzing about how popular you are. Use promo code RME2010VAL for 20% off your Valentine arrangement.

Cost: $95.

Pamper Level: In full bloom.

1. Book a Spa Treatment at Equinox at Back Bay or Franklin St. You deserve a nice deep tissue massage at the hands of an expert masseuse, followed by a Purifying Deep Cleansing Facial and an Upper Lip Hair Removal Wax Treatment (Hint, hint.) While you’re there, check out their state of the art facilities. We love the chilled Eucalyptus towels that we always get upon arrival. It helps keep our sweating problem at orange level.

Cost: $260.

Pamper Level: Very high, but you deserve some TLC.

This Valentine’s Day, let RunMyErrand pamper you. We’ll handle those lamo chores and you can use that extra time to indulge yourself on something special. We’ve kept meaning to ask this, but we are a bit shy….will you be our Valentine?

Don’t worry. I’m going to address this from both angles.

Let us be your Cupid!

For the Valentine’s Day lovers among us, I’ll post the Top 5 Valentine’s Day Errand Ideas for your significant Shmoopy.

Tomorrow’s blog post will feature ideas for the Anti-Valentine’s Day sentiment that is alive and well out there. I’ll be posting the Top 5 Ways To Treat Yourself.

Top 5 Valentine Gift Ideas from RunMyErrand for Valentine’s Day Lovers:

5. Hire a Runner to pick up a selection of desserts from the top local Boston bakeries for your hunny. Might we recommend a Cherry Crumb Tart from Petsi Pies in Somerville/Cambridge, a few Red Velvet cupcakes from KickAss Cupcakes in Davis Sq., and a few mini Boston cream pies and mini Tiramisu from Finale in Harvard Square.

Cost – approximately $30.

Taste Level – Extremely High.

4. Set up a Chocolate Tasting at Aroa Fine Chocolates in the South End. Aroa Chocolatiers will walk you and your Shmoopy through an exquisite tasting of a variety of various truffles, Pate de Fruits and Caramels. Chocolate IS an aphrodisiac, you know.

Cost – $10.

Taste Level – Exceptional.

3. Hire a Runner to pick up and deliver a bunch of gorgeous flowers from Central Square Florist. Perhaps your Runner will also help you compose a beautiful love sonnet a la Cyrano de Bergerac? Use the promo code ValDay2 for $5 off your delivery. Might we suggest a nice bunch of Cala Lillies for your Shmoopy? Why Cala Lillies? Because I like them. That’s why.

Cost – $55.

Taste Level – Personalized and Memorable.

2. Hire a Runner to cook a fine dinner for you and Shmoopy. Put your feet up and relax! Let a Runner pamper you! We have loads of culinary experts at the ready who will create an exquisite menu from organic and local ingredients, like duck,  purchased at Whole Foods. What would you like prepared? How about a warm goat cheese salad with pears and walnuts, a delicate Rack of Lamb with Herbs de Provence, and an indulgent Venezuelan chocolate mousse with mint. How can you say no to that?

Cost – $150.

Taste Level – Major Yum.

1. Have a Runner put together a sexy mixtape for your Shmoopy. NOTHING says endless love like a mixtape featuring the likes of Milli Vanilli, Air Supply, ABBA and Styx.

Cost: Some would say $7-$10. I would say “priceless.”

Taste Level: Dubious at best.

Use promo code ValDayRME first time users for $15 off your first errand! And feel free to take all the credit for that mixtape idea.

Well, it happened. The dreaded cold/flu season came and took a victim in me. Hi, it’s Rebecca, Marketing Guru at RME. (Picture, by the way, as I write this I am taking 5 minute breaks to lie down.) I have been lucky. I am not one who gets sick often (knock on wood). And so, when I started to feel my head get heavy, my throat scratchy and my nose tingly, I thought by the morning my body would have fought off the virus. No such luck.

One of the challenges with not getting sick often is locating medicine when you need it. It is amazing how much you need on hand when sick. Just being on the couch or in bed requires tools and supplies. Here’s a list of the items that have kept me going for 3 days:

- chicken soup
- cold medicine daytime
- tissues
- tomato soup
- tea
- vapor-rub
- cold medicine nighttime
- oatmeal
- airborne
- left over Halloween candy

Besides the candy, none of this was on hand 3 days ago (or at least none that had not long been expired). Is there anything worse than going out to the pharmacy or supermarket when you do not feel well? Bright lights. Musak. Long lines.

Stock up now. Save yourself. Or, if you find yourself sick and in need of life-saving supplies, reach out to a friendly RME runner who will gladly run to the store for you.

What are your favorite cold remedies?

Hello, fans of Run My Errand!

I’m allison r, a self-designated “Super runner,” here to help introduce you to me, and other members of the Founding Runners team.  Who are the Founding Runners, you ask? We’re the ten or so crazy kids (and adults) who jumped on board with Run My Errand pretty darn close to its inception, and have been running errands with gusto ever since. We’re constantly suggesting new features to Leah, we can post our own runs(like trips to Home Depot and Target), and we even have a super secret handshake.

Going forward, check this blog compulsively for profiles of and interviews with our fabulous Founding Runners. For today, though, you’re stuck with some interesting facts about me!

I’m a 25 year old graduate of Bowdoin College with a BA in German and Film Studies trying to find my niche in the working world. I’m really good at driving places fast, picking up stuff, buying stuff, delivering stuff, and coordinating times to pick up, buy, and deliver stuff. Enter Run My Errand, the perfect outlet for my (until now) unused talents!

Seriously, though, I work a couple of part-time jobs, so I have a flexible schedule, and I’m all over the city. Living in Somerville, working in Watertown and Brookline, and making frequent trips to Metrowest makes an errand in almost any corner of the city feasible for me.

My favorite errand to date, though, was an Ikea run for a man who runs a home improvement business in Somerville. The errand required much haggling over the fee and the enlisting of a friend with a Subaru to make the trip to Stoughton to purchase and deliver over $1500 worth of kitchen cabinetry! We had to wait over an hour for Ikea to even pull the items from their onsite warehouse…good thing they have a great food court with 50 cent hot dogs, and lots to browse to pass the time!

Neither party anticipated the errand would take as long as it did, but I didn’t mind, and Brad (the Sender) was very understanding, and grateful we completely his mammoth errand! My friend and I left sweaty, tired, a few dollars richer, and glad we were able to help. Because that’s what it’s all really about, right? We’re a bunch of young professionals who are enterprising, creative, tuned into the community, and here to make your life easier. Rock on!

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for more runner anecdotes, top-secret Run My Errand tid-bits, and maybe even some chances to get hooked up with cool RME gear!

Cheers,

allison r.

Had a blast at Hubspot TV on Friday with @karenrubin and @mvolpe … thanks for having me guys! I enjoyed chatting about yellow labs, facebook, honda’s social media nightmare, and Karen’s obsession with the whopper. Or was that Mike’s? I can’t remember.

Despite what most people think when I tell them I am interning for RUNmyERRAND.com this summer, I don’t usually run the errands that are posted on the site. In fact, I hadn’t ran any.  That all changed last week when I accepted an errand that (not to brag) I couldn’t have been more perfect for.

Someone posted an errand to pick up their pug from the airport. Although the sender wanted to meet with the runner first, she would pay top dollar for the transportation of her precious cargo. I was reading the errand alert message on my phone and realized that the airport wasn’t Boston’s Logan international, but Republic Airport. Where the heck is that you’re wondering? It just happens to be in Farmingdale, NY (on Long Island) and 20 minutes away from my parents’ house. What airline? Pet Airways, the same one my mom (a dog lover) told me about the day before while chatting on the phone after seeing a special on the news.

Coincidence? At RUNmyERRAND we’d rather call it the power of community. It wasn’t until this point that I realized how truly awesome it is.

Mr. Peabody slept almost the whole way up to Boston, but came alive when he was reunited with his owner.  I was happy to have helped out (and as far as I know, garner the biggest runner fee in RUNmyERRAND history.