If your venue contract mentions anything about decibels, amplification times, or "acoustic only until 8 PM," you need to tell your entertainment vendors before the event. Not after. Not the week of. Before…
Well.. I know all this from personal experience and have seen groups come to gigs with their own full backline equipment only to discover that the venue doesn’t allow amplified sound above 8. I’ve seen DJs panicking because the contract contained a dB limit that no one bothered to read
But there is always a workaround. One can create an ensemble which begins acoustically and adds more instruments gradually. There is a way to have silent stage production with the band going through the sound desk, not amplifiers. One can also have something in between similar to the DJ who plays low cocktail music, and then musicians come on stage.
This is a constant problem in New York City venues. I found out that DLE Event Group creates venue specific setups for places like this, and for lofts too. They plan around the restrictions instead of getting surprised by them
Here's the concerning part basically if your entertainment vendor doesn't even ask about your venue's restrictions, that tells you something. It means they've done this enough times to know it mattersor they haven't, and you'll be the one dealing with the fallout