Feeding a snake in or out of it's enclosure is purely preference. You do that with a 20 something foot retic and it can associate meal time with coming out and you're there. There was a post about that I think from Harry Wessels.
Now granted a bp doesn't get that big. I used to feed my yellow anaconda in a separate enclosure purely out of preference because I didn't want her to eat any cypress mulch.
For a rule of thumb here's a good rule to go by:
If a snake bites and constricts, this is going to be a feeding response. It could be hungry or you could have something it's keen to scent wise on your hand. This is why you either wash your hands or use hand sanitizer before handling your snake.
If a snake bites you and pulls away or just bites you. This is a defensive bite. This could be the fact it's nervous or stressed or a number of things.
Good luck and do a lot of reading and research so you can properly care for your snake. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but just because your fiance has had snakes in the past doesn't mean she knows how to properly care for them. Pet stores commonly give out horrible advice.
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