SHENYANG: A young couple held their dream wedding on Tuesday morning. But behind the fairytale is a heartbreaking love story.

Qiao Yanqiu, 21, and now husband Wu Baoan, 30, married on February 27, the 10th day of China's lunar New Year.

The young bride, Qiao, has terminal bone cancer.

A clearly saddened Wu spoke to China Daily of the emotional rollercoaster ride he and his wife have been on.

"There are have been so many ups and downs in the past one year: sorrow, love and the threat of death," Wu said.

Qiao lives in Guzhutun, a little village, 800 kilometers northeast of Beijing. Wu is the classmate of Qiao's older brother. Almost 18 months ago, Qiao was diagnosed with bone cancer, a fatal disease that has left her in agonising pain nearly every waking hour.

In order to raise the medical funds for Qiao, her parents spent all of their savings and sold out house and land.

Qiao's weight has also dropped from 50 to 30 kilograms in the past few months.

When the couple first met, Qiao was virtually bed-ridden with illness.

Wu would spend many hours of the day reading for her, feeding her, and washing her feet.

"As time passed by, I found I was falling in love with this girl," Wu recalled.

"She was the one I was looking for."

But it wasn't that simple to win over Qiao's who was coping with her illness, and didn't want to burden Wu with it.

But Wu said nothing, and devoted more and more time to Qiao until he finally won her over.

But as Qiao's health deteriorated, virtually sending her parents broke in medical costs, doctors said she had only a maximum of one year to live.

It was a wakeup call.

"I just realized I was going live my life they way I wanted to," Wu said.

"So many people live their whole life and don't do the things they want to do."

He proposed to Qiao, who could barely sit up in a hospital bed.

"Marry me. Please give me the chance so I would not be sorry for ever," Wu recalled what he said.

Qiao accepted, and wedding preparations started.

The couple's story has touched the entire town, where people rallied together to throw the dream wedding.

Local villagers volunteered to form a car parade to accompany the bride to the ceremony.

Shi Lingzhi, president from Shenyang Sunline Plastic & Aesthetic Hospital was deeply moved by the couple's story. "This is so great. I can't help to bless them," said Shi, who brought roses and donated 1,000 yuan ($130) to the couple.