Venue/Vendor response times

Hi guys,

We found a venue we love in Tuscany for fall 2027 - I know this is still far away, but our dates are slowly getting booked up in this venue.

The initial communication was great (replies within 24hr) but now since getting the contract, we have noticed quite a slight change in response time (from 5-7 days and sometimes need to follow-up) - which is not a problem now but likely would be closer to our wedding. We are about to put in a deposit this week, we really love the place, and I still think they're just busy atm and we're not an urgent client at this point.

Now thinking if it's the right thing to still put in that deposit. Would you think this is just normal considering we are only at the beginning of our inquiry and it'll be different when we put in a deposit and our wedding day is closer? Thoughts?