"It's quite early in the year for an engagement shoot, the weather might be, you know, a bit gothic." "Oh we love gothic, we're big Game of Thrones fans."
"In fact we met through a writer's workshop. We both love Fantasy writing, so please, go ahead and make this as gothic as you like."
Well, as predicted, the weather certainly leant itself to Gothic, with dark lowering clouds hanging over the castle portentously. To our great good fortune it didn't rain, though after an hour-long shoot, I think the bitter early March winds may have got a little inside everyone's bones! Not enough to cool the very obvious passion that Ean and Nell hold for one another however.
"It's a very special place and means a lot to us. It's where Ean proposed to me."
And you can see why anyone would find Bodiam a special place. Steeped in history and architecturally perfect, even the crumbling, ruined insides add to the venerable charm of one of Kent's most perfect castles.
In fact as you near the castle, you are greeted with the sign welcoming you to East Sussex "1066 country". And from thereon in, rolling, beautiful countryside and wonderful medieval history sit side by side.
Chances are that you'll have already seen hundreds of photos of Bodiam Castle - even if you've never heard of it until right now. Bodiam is so picture-perfect that the image of the castle, emerging from a misty moat, has been emblazoned on thousands of tourist brochures, books, chocolate boxes and tea towels, and shipped all around the world.
In fact, Bodiam is often portrayed as 'the perfect English castle' - a jostling crowd of tall, grey stone towers protected by square battlements, secured with a round drum tower at each corner, and wrapped in a reflective moat.
Bodiam Castle was built from 1385, and there's an unsolved puzzle at the very heart of the castle. Essentially, historians are pondering whether the castle's perfect appearance is too good to be true.
One one side, some scholars argue that Bodiam was built as a Medieval romance - a grand country home designed to evoke the majesty and power of other English castles, but with little intention of ever being used in battle.
However, opposing historians counter that the castle really was a ferocious and formidable fortress, that just so happens to look perfect to the foolish minds of modern visitors.