Matchboxes from London

Small boxes for big weddings.

designed, drawn and proofed by hand

Personalised matchboxes, matchbooks and table pieces, printed directly on premium paper. Never a sticker. Always a proof first.

Shop the boxes Find yours in 60 seconds

784 orders so far 4.6 from 172 reviews Secure checkout by Stripe

Pale yellow matchboxes with red hand-drawn fish, Deer Isle, Maine

Chartreuse matchboxes printed Ashton and Bryce in a silver tray

Letterpress matchbox with a red monogram, Alex and Jessie

Green and blush striped matchboxes with a hand drawn venue

Burgundy matchbooks with gold foil names

Green striped matchboxes with names and Kin House drawing

White matchboxes with script names in a brass tray

Deer Isle, Maine · hand drawn

Before anything else

It has to be
made properly.

A matchbox sits on every place setting and goes home in every pocket. So we treat it like a small piece of architecture.

the paper

Printed straight onto the box. Never a sticker.

Every design is printed directly onto premium paper and finished by hand in the studio. Foil, embossing, debossing and letterpress when the day calls for it.

Striped matchboxes with a wavy green border, a bow and names

the proof

You see it before we print a single one.

A digital proof arrives by email. Ask for as many reasonable revisions as you like. Nothing goes to print until you say yes.

Pale yellow matchboxes with red hand-drawn fish for a wedding in Maine

the hand

Drawn by an architect, one box at a time.

Balance, scale and proportion down to the smallest line. Every order is approached as a miniature project, from one wedding to a hotel group.

The collection · fourteen ways in

Pick a favourite.

01 / 14

every one made to order, with your proof first

The sixty second box quiz

Which box suits your day?

Four quick questions. One straight answer about which matchbox will actually fit the occasion.

no email needed

The commission

Make one that is
only yours.

Two ways to begin. Send us a design you already love and we print it, or let us draw one from scratch around your names, your venue and your day. Either way, a free proof comes first.

direct printPreview only · your proof is drawn by hand

Names

Date

Paper

Border

Drawing

Lettering

Finish

Personalisation 0 / 500

Paste the brief into the notes at checkout. Embossed and debossed orders generally need at least eight weeks, so tell us your date early.

From brief to table

Four steps,
one proof.

Read it like a match. Start at the end you hold, finish where it lights.

1Order

Tell us the story.

Pick your box and quantity, pay securely by Stripe, and add names, dates, colours or artwork in the checkout notes. Fixed date or bespoke size? Email us first.

2Proof

See it, change it.

Your digital proof arrives by email, with unlimited reasonable revisions. If we hear nothing for 48 hours, the latest proof counts as approved.

3Make

Made to order.

Printed directly on premium paper and finished in the studio. Foil, letterpress and textured papers are planned per order; embossing needs around eight weeks.

4Ship

Wherever the party is.

Tracked shipping worldwide. In a hurry? Rush orders reach the UK in 2 business days and the USA in 3. Check your date

Inside the studio

Three people,
one matchbox.

Every order passes the same three pairs of hands before it leaves London.

LONDON1st

the designer

Owner · Designer

An architect by training and the hand behind every design. Venue sketches, pet portraits, monograms and custom sizes all start on his desk.

LONDON1st

the desk

Customer Care

Answers your questions from first message to final approval, and keeps every name, date and colour exactly where it should be.

LONDON1st

the dispatch

Packing · Shipping

Packs every order and sends it on its way. The person to message when a delivery date is tight.

Rush orders

Order today,
open it Tuesday.

Wedding next week and the favours still missing? Pick where they are going and see the day they land.

weekends and UK bank holidays skipped

Delivery planner

Order date

it arrives byTuesday 29 September

Order day On its way No delivery With you

Rush dates assume your design is approved the day you order. Rush production and courier costs vary by quantity and finish, so the team confirms your price and delivery date in writing before anything is charged.

Ask for a rush quote thematcheslondon@gmail.com

Post from our couples · via Etsy

What arrives
on the day.

4.6

★★★★★

172 reviews · 784 orders

Read them all on Etsy ↗

Beyond the box

Dress the whole table.

One design, carried across every piece. The matchbox matches the menu, the napkin and the sign by the door.

Large matchboxesMatchbooksCocktail napkinsCoastersMenusPlace cardsInvitationsWedding signsMetal matchbox covers

White cocktail napkin with a golden retriever sketch and Cheers, love Alfie

Cocktail napkins · order now

Matchbooks · by enquiry

Metal matchbox cover with a wavy embossed frame

Metal covers · by enquiry

Our story · since 2025

It started with
one box.

Our founder is an architect and designer in London. The idea was simple: take an everyday object, the standard matchbox, and make it considered, refined and personal enough to belong at a wedding, a hotel bar or a birthday table.

That idea became The Matches London. Nothing is one size fits all. Names, dates, drawings, colours, paper, proportions and finishes are chosen for the couple, the venue or the brand behind each order.

“Each design is approached as a miniature project.”the founder

They are never simply objects. They hold names, places, dates and stories, and they become part of the table, the atmosphere and the moment itself.

2025The shop opens on Etsy, from a desk in London.

784 orders laterWeddings, welcome parties, hotels, bars and brands, shipped worldwide.

NowFull table collections: napkins, coasters, menus, signs and metal covers.

Illustrated Ibiza map matchboxes in pale blue with red lettering — Ibiza, June

Green matchboxes printed Light up the dance floor — the dance floor

Green striped matchboxes with a dog portrait in a bowl — guest of honour

Dark red and cream matchboxes for a Paris jeweller — depuis 1922

Navy striped matchbooks with a house illustration, Thanks for visiting — thanks for visiting

The trade desk

Buying for a hotel, a bar, a brand?

Your name in every pocket that leaves the room. Logo matchboxes for hospitality, corporate gifts and events, from a few hundred to many thousands, with one clear quote and finishes planned properly.

HotelsRestaurantsCocktail barsJewellersCandle housesFashionCorporate gifts

64pper box at volume

Anysize, tray and finish

1clear quote, in writing

Request a trade quote Order branded boxes

Linen matchboxes debossed Maison du Calme Paris with green-tipped matches

Dark red and cream matchboxes for a Paris jeweller, with an emerald ring

Trade docketNo. 0784

the price list

Bulk logo matchboxesfrom 64p a box

Custom dimensions & trayson quotation

Foil, letterpress, embossplanned per order

Engraved metal covershotels · restaurants

Worldwide deliverytracked · express

Sage branded matchboxes with a tennis racket and cans illustration

Bars & events

Linen debossed matchboxes for a Paris home fragrance house

Maisons & candles

Jewellers

Hotel rooms

Buy with confidence

Small print,
big promises.

Every order is personal, so every promise is written down. Read the policies before you buy; they are short and in plain English.

Secure checkout

Payments run through Stripe. Your card details never touch our site, and every payment is encrypted end to end.

Proof before print

Nothing is printed until you approve the proof. Unlimited reasonable revisions, at no extra cost.

Made right, or made again

Faulty, damaged in transit or different from your approved proof? We reprint it or refund it. Email photos within 30 days.

A real London studio

784 orders and 172 reviews averaging 4.6 stars. A registered company in England and Wales.

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The practical bits

Small boxes for big weddings.

It has to be
made properly.