Shannon & Oscar

Our Story

Like many great love stories, ours began with a massive train disruption, a complete stranger, and absolutely no idea what was about to happen.

In 2015, Shannon was 21 and traveling to Europe to visit a friend from Western University who was studying abroad in Rotterdam. What was supposed to be a girls’ trip through the Netherlands and Germany took an unexpected turn before it had even really begun.

Shannon’s friend had a class that ran late and couldn’t meet her at the train station, so she did what any good friend would do: she gave Shannon’s phone number to a Dutch guy named Oscar and told him to help her figure out the trains.

So there Shannon was, newly arrived in the Netherlands in the middle of a massive train disruption, her phone sitting at 5% battery and nothing but a Canadian charger in hand, trusting directions from a complete stranger she had never met. As it turns out, this was just the beginning of a very common pattern in their relationship, with Oscar making sure Shannon is safe, taken care of, and headed in the right direction. Apparently, he started the job before they had even met.

When Shannon finished the rest of her trip through Europe and returned to Rotterdam, she and Oscar finally met in person. Shannon was able to properly thank the stranger who had helped her through all of the train chaos, although neither of them knew at the time just how important that stranger was about to become.

Over the next couple of days, including a very fun night out with friends before Shannon had to fly home, the two found themselves talking, having drinks, laughing, and realizing they had far more in common than either of them expected.

There was, however, one small complication: the language barrier.

When they first met, Oscar was still finding his confidence speaking English, and Shannon occasionally had to turn their conversations into a bit of a guessing game just to figure out what he was trying to say. Somehow, between Oscar’s English, Shannon’s complete lack of Dutch, a little patience, and plenty of laughter, they managed to understand each other.

And despite the occasional communication challenge, they both left those few days thinking the same thing.

There was something there.

For the next ten months, Shannon and Oscar stayed in touch from opposite sides of the Atlantic. Shannon talked about Oscar constantly, particularly to her mom, Jan. Around Christmas, much to Shannon’s surprise, Jan finally told her what she probably already knew: book the flight and see what this could be.

So Shannon did.

She returned to the Netherlands for ten days in December 2015, and from that point on, there was really no looking back.

What followed was nearly a decade of choosing each other from opposite sides of the world.

There were countless flights, long distance, goodbyes at airports, and more than a few obstacles along the way. There was even a deportation thanks to the wrong working visa. Then came a global pandemic that kept them apart for an incredible 11 and a half months.

Through every obstacle, they kept choosing each other.

Shannon even learned an entirely new language so she could stay in the country, and in 2022, after years of long distance, she officially made the move to the Netherlands.

Today, Shannon and Oscar call a beautiful apartment along the water in downtown Rotterdam home.

And somewhere along the way, it wasn’t only Shannon and Oscar whose lives became intertwined. Their families did too.

The Catneys have made several trips across the Atlantic to visit the Netherlands, while the de Bruins have spent time staying with the Catneys in Canada. They’ve shared holidays, including Christmas together, and what began as two families in two different countries has gradually become one wonderfully blended Dutch and Canadian family.

Oscar’s family, Bob, Cynthia, and Esmee, and Shannon’s family, Terry, Jan, and Cameron, could not be happier to welcome one another into the family. After years of visits between Canada and the Netherlands, shared meals, holidays, adventures, and plenty of laughs, it feels especially meaningful that everyone will soon officially become family.

And then, of course, there is Ireland.

One very cold but incredibly fun St. Patrick’s Day, Shannon and Oscar traveled to Dublin with Shannon’s brother, Cameron, and friends to celebrate.

Despite the cold, the rain, and everything you might expect from March in Ireland, they had the best time.

Somewhere in the middle of all the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, Shannon and Oscar both had the same feeling: one day, we should get married here.

With Shannon’s Irish background, Ireland already held a special connection for her family. And for a Canadian and a Dutchman who come from two countries very familiar with cold, rain, and unpredictable weather, it somehow felt like the perfect fit.

Ireland had the warmth, character, countryside, and sense of celebration they wanted their wedding to have. More importantly, it was a place where they had already made such a happy memory together.

Years later, that little idea in Dublin became the plan.

But first, there needed to be a proposal.

In September 2025, almost exactly ten years together, Oscar and Shannon traveled to Crete, Greece.

While aboard a catamaran near Dia Island, after a day spent sailing and snorkeling around the island, Oscar asked Shannon to marry him.

She said yes.

And now, more than a decade after a massive train disruption somehow brought a Canadian girl and a Dutch guy into each other’s lives, we’re bringing everyone we love together in Ireland to make it official.

From strangers, to friends, to long-distance love, to finally building a home together, it has been quite the journey.

After more than a decade of adventures, challenges, plane tickets, laughter, family visits, rainy days, and choosing one another from opposite sides of the world, we cannot think of a more fitting place to begin our next chapter than Ireland.

We can’t wait to celebrate it with all of you.