Ask for capacity by layout, not one number.
Ceremony seating, cocktails, plated dinner, buffet, band, dancing, and a weather fallback each use space differently. Request diagrams or photographs from real events at your guest count and confirm what must be moved between chapters.
Walk the rain plan as if it is the plan.
See guest arrival, ceremony sightlines, sound, cocktails, dinner, vendor load-in, and restrooms in the fallback. If the venue cannot show how it works, the backup may exist only in a sales sentence.
Ask what the base fee does not include.
Tables, chairs, linens, lighting, heaters, generators, restrooms, security, insurance, cleanup, overtime, staffing, kitchen use, corkage, and required vendors can change the real cost substantially.
Test access for guests and vendors.
Parking, shuttles, steep paths, stairs, elevators, gates, load-in hours, noise cutoffs, curfews, and overnight storage affect experience and production. Include mobility needs and what happens after dark.
