Over Labor Day Weekend, I was in New York City for a friend’s bachelorette, and while I was in town, I stopped by my best friend Emma’s apartment for an afternoon glass of wine after a long walk. She had made the cutest matchbooks for her apartment for friends, family, and guests to take when they come over, and I loved the idea so much that I had to copy it. I’ve long collected matchbooks from restaurants, so it’s especially fun for me to have my own branded matchbooks on hand now.
There are a ton of custom matchbook vendors out there—I would love to have some custom ones made for my wedding one day, too!—but I decided to go with the vendor Emma used, GB Design House on Etsy. I am really happy with how my custom matchbooks turned out, and I would happily order from them again.
For my order, I did magenta classic matchbooks with white digital ink—but there are so many options, including foil stamping. I will say, the matchbooks I received, in natural light, appear more coral than magenta, but I ended up loving how they turned out, so I never inquired about it. However, I did want to flag just in case it helps someone—matchbook colors may be different from your computer monitor to what you actually receive. (The photo below is an accurate representation of the color of my matchbooks.)
GB Design House on Etsy has quite a few pre-made designs, especially if you’re looking for something wedding related. However, I chose the listing that allowed you to get a custom design. I told them what I wanted it to say, ‘The Hotel Katie’, and they sent me three options to choose from. I asked them to make one tweak, and then it went to print. You can also be more specific than I was and specify a font from their menu of options, or even send in vector artwork. Since you receive a proof, you can be confident that you’ll like the finished product you’re receiving.
If you’re not sold on a custom design or don’t have the perfect saying, I also really like the interlocking initials—could be cute to do your own if you’re also ordering for yourself like me!
I display my custom matchbooks in a vintage crystal dish—it was originally an ash tray—that I bought from Tuesday Made. I love browsing their website for vintage finds; their website is really easy to use, everything is beautifully photographed and well described, and they ship everything with such care. I highly recommend if you’re in the market for a one-of-a-kind piece! They also have a great selection of non-vintage finds, too!