Wedding DJ at Montreal Beach Resort in Cape May, NJ

The Space

On Beach Avenue at Madison Avenue in Cape May’s historic district, this oceanfront resort has been welcoming guests since Memorial Day weekend of 1966, when Harry and Sophie Hirsch opened a 27-room motel built of steel, brick and concrete to stand up to hurricanes and nor’easters. What began as a modest property along the shore grew steadily through the decades, reaching 70 rooms by the end of the 1970s under the same family’s care.

A restaurant and cocktail lounge arrived in 1971 and eventually became Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille, giving the resort its own kitchen and bar rather than a rented ballroom. Madison Resorts took over in 2022 after decades of Hirsch family ownership dating back to 1966, and a 2010 renovation replaced the building’s heating, air, electrical and plumbing systems, so the property a couple tours today runs on modern infrastructure inside a decades-old shell.

Capacity & Layout

The resort holds 70 rooms, including suites and efficiencies, which matters less for a single reception headcount and more for a couple hosting a weekend of guests who can walk to the celebration rather than drive in from a hotel across town. The oceanfront pool with its two panoramic sundecks and the rooftop bar above Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille both function as real event space, not just resort amenities, and either can host a cocktail hour or a smaller reception.

A Wine Cellar and an indoor and outdoor bar area round out the options, so a couple choosing between an open-air rooftop feel and a more enclosed room has more than one real answer on the same property. Beach cabanas with food and drink service extend the footprint outside for daytime portions of a wedding weekend, and bridal suite rooms are available on site, which keeps the getting-ready photos and the ceremony location under one roof.

Amenities

Guests staying at the resort have free high-speed WiFi and free on-site parking, both practical details for out-of-town family arriving for a beach wedding. The property is handicapped accessible with ADA-compliant service animals allowed, and it sits directly across the street from the Cape May beach itself, with its own private beach club and cabanas for anyone who wants sand time between wedding events.

The resort operates year-round with seasonal hours in winter, which is worth knowing for a couple weighing an off-season date against summer crowds and pricing on the shore. Cape May County Airport is about six miles away for guests flying in on smaller planes, and the resort sits within walking distance of the historic district and the Washington Street Mall, so a wedding weekend can include an evening downtown without anyone needing a car. We worked a reception here and found the layout easy to move between rooms without losing guests along the way.

Location & Getting There

Cape May sits at the southern tip of New Jersey, and this resort’s spot on Beach Avenue puts it inside the historic district itself, a few blocks from Washington Street Mall’s shops and restaurants rather than out on a bypass. Guests coming from Philadelphia or North Jersey are looking at a shore drive, and the nearest airport for those flying is Cape May County Airport, about six miles off, with Atlantic City International further out at 47 miles for anyone connecting.

Because the property is oceanfront with both indoor rooms and open outdoor decks, a DJ setup has real options: the rooftop bar above Harry’s Ocean Bar & Grille is open air and takes a PA built for ocean breeze and ambient noise, while the Wine Cellar and indoor bar spaces are enclosed rooms where sound stays contained and dancing carries better after dark.