(CNN) -- Ayat Al-Qassab carefully slipped the beaded satin wedding gown over her small frame. She peered at herself in the rusted mirror and cautiously smiled. For a moment, her war-torn world was transformed and she was a beautiful bride -- free, safe and happy. Boom! A mortar shell exploded somewhere near her Syrian home in Homs, waking her from a daydream. She quickly wrapped a white headscarf tightly around her hair and prepared to leave for her wedding. Only a week earlier, Al-Qassab met her husband-to-be, Mohammad Jumbaz. Their families had coordinated the introduction. He was a pastry chef and part-time fighter for the rebel Free Syrian Army which wants to oust President Bashar al-Assad. She was 18 and from a family who didn't like the al-Assad government.Many Syrians are determined to live their lives despite a war ravaging their nationAyat Al-Qassab and Mohammad Jumbaz survived artillery shelling during their honeymoonTheir marriage is a symbol of the resistance against Bashar al-Assad"We will not surrender, God willing," they say
I am proud that I married one of the revolutionaries, and I am proud to be here in old _ defending my nation and my dignity."