Should I hire a wedding planner or is it better to do everything myself?

It depends on how packed your schedule is and whether you're willing to sweat the details. I'd say a wedding planner makes sense if you and your fiancée are both working full-time, because a wedding is actually a complex project. You've got to manage a bunch of vendors, coordinate timing, deal with unexpected shit on the fly. When I switched to sales, I saw how much attention to detail everything needs, and weddings are like that times ten. If you're ready to spend months on endless calls with the photographer, florist, catering company, and then drag the bride and groom around all day following your plan - then you can skip the planner.

But here's the thing: a good planner usually knows who to work with and can negotiate better prices than a newbie. They've already dealt with standard problems and know how to solve them. I'd check this myself, the way I check any service - ask for a portfolio, reviews, meet them in person. See if the planner is actually solving your problems or just taking money and doing the bare minimum.

If your budget's tight, you can find a compromise: hire a planner just for the wedding day itself to coordinate everyone on-site, and do the prep work yourself. It's cheaper and saves you a ton of stress.