Amanda Eames is the first to admit that artificial trees are not top of most people’s list when it comes to planning their wedding.

Yet the concept is currently taking the event world by storm.

Amanda and her business partner, also called Amanda, have been delighted by the response, after setting up their Twilight Hire business last year.

The pair hit upon the idea after Amanda Eames, who is trained in floristry, was struck by the beauty of some 6ft white trees she saw for sale.

“They were so beautiful I bought them and we tried to rent them out to florists for any events that they were doing,” she says.

“They are just white branch trees and you can then style them for whatever the theme is. We’ve done them for an Oscar theme, with tiaras hanging from them, or Alice in Wonderland.

“We had a really busy Christmas, because they lend themselves to winter events and winter weddings. We realised that we wanted to do all-year-round work, so we decided to start different ranges.”

Twilight Hire now offers cherry blossom and wisteria artificial trees, as well as crystal and feather varieties. But many brides and event planners still want to feature flowers in their decor, so the pair decided to extend their range.

They design a huge selection including hanging installations, archways, driftwood decorations and a simply stunning, two metre-high flower wall, which was spotted on Twilight Hire’s Twitter feed and used in a photoshoot for Elle magazine.

“We now deliver the whole other range of flower products, like centrepieces,” explains mum-of-two Amanda.

“We design things in artificial flowers that can deliver the look, but it’s a fraction of the price of real flowers. They can be re-hired and they don’t die.

“It’s a new concept, and it’s not for everybody – a lot of brides still want fresh flowers. But we can give so much more for the money.”

Amanda says many brides love the look of the dramatic mass of flowers seen at some celebrity weddings, but, while they don’t necessarily have the budget, artificial blooms mean they can still achieve the desired effect. And there are even ways of replicating the scent of real flowers.

“A lot of the time we’ve used fresh herbs with some of the displays and we use a mist product that gives a scent,” explains Amanda.

“We’ve got a Wisteria spray that we spray on the trees. We do try and offer it if we can, but it’s not always possible.”

The Amandas, as they’re known, have catered for numerous events of varying budgets, both locally and further afield, although they do require a minimum spend if they have to travel far.

“We’ve been to Nottingham and London,” says Amanda.

“We’ve found that there’s not many people nationally that do what we do. We offer a bit more than just the product.”

The next step is to purchase some 10ft natural trees which can be decorated to achieve any desired effect, and the pair are aiming to branch out more into the corporate events world.

“Trees are a new concept.” admits Amanda. “It’s not something people think about when they’re getting married, but it’s unique.”

• twilighthire.co.uk