A wedding florist in Cape May for love stories written between the gardens and the sea.
Cape May holds a romance all its own. Painted Victorian facades in sherbet colors, wide porches and gingerbread trim, salt air drifting up from the shore, and gardens that spill over picket fences. Getting married here feels like stepping into a softer, sunlit century, and the florals want to match that ease and charm.
Melissa-May Designs is a luxury floral and event design studio serving Cape May and the Jersey Shore. Founded by creative director Melissa-May Tarlton in 2010, the studio brings bespoke arrangements and full-service design to couples across the tri-state who want a seaside celebration that still feels elevated and intentional.
As a wedding florist in Cape May, Melissa works by appointment and limits how many events she takes each weekend, so your day is never one of many. Romantic at heart, calm in the details, the florals are made to last in memory long after the last light leaves the water.
Seaside and garden weddings by the ocean
The Cape May venue landscape is a gift to a florist. Grand painted hotels with sweeping verandas, historic bed-and-breakfasts framed by cottage gardens, beachfront settings where the ceremony meets the surf, and manicured lawns that catch the golden hour. Each invites a slightly different mood, from breezy and coastal to lush and Victorian.
Melissa reads the setting and the season, then designs to it. Airy garden palettes and trailing greenery for a porch or lawn, weather-wise choices that hold up to shore wind and sun, installations that frame an ocean view without competing with it. The goal is a Cape May wedding that feels of the place, historic charm and coastal light in equal measure.
Bespoke floral and full-service design
The studio offers bespoke floral design and full-service wedding and event styling, from bridal bouquets and centerpieces to large-scale installations that shape a whole space. The finishing touches, including hand calligraphy, engraving, heat foiling, and painting, bring a bespoke, editorial polish to signage, place settings, and keepsakes.
Melissa-May Designs is a floral and design studio rather than a planning service, so every hour goes toward how your day looks and feels. If you need full-service planning, she can recommend trusted planners and then work hand in hand with them to realize the florals and design by the sea.
Curated florals and celebration styling
Sophisticated Events & Weddings
Full-service design for weddings and elevated celebrations. End-to-end wedding florals, styling, and the thousand small details that make a day feel unmistakably yours.
Artistic decor and direction
Exquisite Florals & Design
Bespoke floral artistry and custom decor, from elegant bridal bouquets and centerpieces to large-scale floral installations, composed with an eye for movement, color, and quiet drama.
Custom calligraphy, engraving, foiling & painting
Elevated Design
Hand calligraphy, custom engraving, heat foiling, and artistic painting. The finishing touches, made by hand, that turn a celebration into an heirloom.
Hourly advice for couples & special events
Design Discussions
Prefer to lead the way yourself? Book Melissa's eye by the hour for direction, sourcing, and styling counsel for couples and special events.
Weddings in Cape May
Do you serve weddings in Cape May, NJ?
Yes. Cape May and the Jersey Shore are part of the studio's tri-state service area. Melissa is happy to travel down the shore to design at your chosen hotel, inn, garden, or beachfront setting.
Can you handle a beach or outdoor Cape May wedding?
Very much so. Coastal celebrations are a favorite. Melissa chooses varieties and structures that stand up to shore wind, sun, and salt air, so the florals look effortless from the ceremony through the last dance.
How early should we book a Cape May wedding florist?
Shore season books quickly, and the studio takes a limited number of events each weekend, so twelve to eighteen months ahead is wise. Reach out early and start with a private, by-appointment consultation.
Nearby wedding florist service areas
Moments made to last.
Now booking weddings and events in Cape May and throughout New Jersey. Tell us about your day and we will be in touch.