Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip: The newly-weds, still in their wedding finery, stepped over broken glass and rubble into their honeymoon suite - a room in the groom's family home, badly damaged by Israeli tank shells.
The room is small, but has a real bed, rather than mattresses spread on the floor, and offers rare privacy in a house crammed with two dozen relatives taking up the few areas clear of debris and shards.
"I am happy, no doubt, but it's not the feeling that I might have felt before the war," said Haitham Attar, 26, after escorting his bride, Reem Abu Laila, 24, into her new home.
In keeping with tradition, she was covered head to toe by a hooded cloak over her white wedding dress, shielding her from view.
The bittersweet story of their wedding day provided a glimpse into the quest of Gazans for normalcy as the world begins efforts to rebuild after three weeks of war.
The wedding was to take place January 15. However, Israel's military offensive was going full force, and the town near Israel's border, a frequent launching ground for fighters' rockets, was hit hard.
Tank shells smashed through the front walls of the Attars' two-storey home, devastating the room Attar had prepared for himself and his bride.
Now, after a delayed ceremony, the couple's honeymoon will end quickly.
Their new room belongs to Attar's parents, Yousuf and Fatima, who moved out to give the newlyweds some space after the wedding.
However, the parents will want to return eventually, and then the couple will have to sleep on mattresses in the communal area or move into a nearby tent camp, where one of the groom's brothers and his pregnant wife and toddler have made their home.
Attar said affordable apartments for rent were unavailable.
The war destroyed or damaged some 15,000 houses. Many displaced people moved in with relatives or rented apartments.
Many homeowners have collected emergency aid from the Hamas government or the United Nations, but the Attars say they haven't received aid.
Despite the lack of a proper home, Attar didn't want to put the wedding off any longer.
The wedding took place on Monday with Attar handing his bride her dowry of gold - a ring, a necklace and bracelets.
"Life must continue," he said. "I decided to get married and then to think about the future. The future and fate are known only to God, but hope is there."
