Natalie & Brent

The Flanders Hotel

June 10, 2023

Photos by Sean Marshall Lin

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A sneak peek of the reception area before cocktail hour.
Many newer wedding venues boast modern style and artistic expression, but if you’re looking to host an elegant affair, Natalie and Brent Greenlee believe you should start and end your search with Ocean City’s historic Flanders Hotel, an establishment that helped establish the island’s reputation as a must-visit place in the early 20th century.

Natalie and Brent both grew up in Galloway Township – even had mutual friends, went to the same schools, and played sports at the same locations – but didn’t meet until they were in college.
 
“That was over 10 years ago now, and it has been so fun for us to share memories of our childhoods together,” Natalie said. “In each one, it seems as though we just barely missed bumping into each other.”
 
One of those shared experiences was visiting Ocean City’s boardwalk, where both Natalie and Brent inevitably passed the Flanders Hotel, a timeless landmark overlooking the boardwalk and ocean off 11th street.

“So when we went to look for wedding venues, there was no doubt in our minds that we wanted to make another great memory in that beautiful town,” she explained. “And this time we would do so together.”

The couple took a trip from their apartment in New York City to Ocean City, planning to stop first at the Flanders before visiting other venues. Natalie said they were so new to the process of wedding planning that they didn’t want to appear naive. So when the staff at Flanders asked if they had been shopping around at other venues, the couple politely nodded, even though they hadn’t yet. 

“But ultimately it did not matter, because shortly after seeing the beautiful reception halls in the Flanders that look out over the coast, we were sold,” she said. 

Opened in 1923, Flanders Hotel has seen many changes over the years, but the sense of refinery and elegance have remained the same. Stepping into the decorative lobby takes one back into an era when women and men still wore their Sunday best just to stroll the boardwalk.

The hotel includes 117 rooms, ranging from one-bedroom suites to decadent penthouses. Each room features a kitchenette, at least one separate bedroom, and a living space, so wedding guests can feel right at home.

The hotel has luxurious ballrooms and cocktail spaces perfect for weddings, meeting rooms, a restaurant, shopping, salon, fitness center, and heated outdoor pool.

Natalie emphasized the willingness of the Flanders staff to come alongside the couple and help in planning their big day.

“That day was so special that it is difficult to put everything that happened into words,” Natalie said. “From the beautiful ceremony on the beach, to the elegant cocktail hour in the promenade, to the party that began in the ballroom and ended in the groomsmen suite upstairs, it was nothing short of our wildest dreams come true.”

After the fanfare of the wedding had ended and it was time to leave for the honeymoon, Natalie and Brent took one last moment to thank their new friends at the Flanders.