The short answer is: more than you think. Not with a novel-length email, just with the handful of things that genuinely change what gets photographed.
Here is what I find most useful to know as a photographer, and what is worth telling yours.
Share your timeline as early as you can
Your photographer needs to know where to be and when, from the morning preparations through to the evening. Send your schedule as soon as it is confirmed, and send it again if anything shifts. A photographer working from an old timeline is a photographer in the wrong room.
Include the in-between moments too. The letter you are exchanging before the ceremony, the ten quiet minutes you want together after the vows, the friend flying in as a surprise. If you want those in the gallery, tell your photographer to be ready for them.
It also helps to build a little slack around the big moments, so a few minutes of delay are easier to absorb.
Tell them your must-have shots
If there are moments and people that absolutely need photographing, write them down and share the list. A specific family grouping, your grandad who has travelled a long way to be there, the detail on the dress you spent months choosing.
Keep the formal group list realistic, though. A long list of combinations can eat into your drinks reception. Pick the ones that really matter and trust your photographer to catch the rest as it happens.
Be honest about family dynamics
Do not skip this one. If your parents are divorced and should not be in the same frame, if two relatives do not speak, if someone is camera shy or recently bereaved, say so before the day.
Sharing this does not need to be awkward. It gives your photographer the chance to organise group photos gently, keep the wrong people from standing side by side, and know when to give someone space. It is a two-minute conversation that can prevent genuinely difficult moments on the day.
Talk about the style you love
You presumably booked your photographer because you liked their work, so you are most of the way there. Even so, it is worth a direct conversation about style before the day. Do you want the day documented quietly as it unfolds, or more time set aside for portraits? Are there photographs you have seen, from their portfolio or anywhere else, that you keep coming back to?
Share two or three examples if you can. A picture is far easier to match than a description.
Give them a point of contact for the day
Expect to be busy. Nominate someone who knows both families, an usher, a bridesmaid, a coordinator, who can help gather people for group photographs and answer quick questions. Introduce them to your photographer before the day, even just by email.
It sounds small, but it can save a lot of interruptions while you are meant to be with your guests.
The thread through all of this is simple: brief your photographer well before the day, then forget about photography and enjoy it. Your photographer may ask you some of these questions themselves. If they do, answer them fully. It is time well spent.
Planning your wedding photography? I photograph weddings across the UK and internationally. Get in touch and tell me about your plans, and we can talk through the day together.
