21 May,2012 06:11 AM IST | | Agencies
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg married his long-term girlfriend, announcing the happy news through a status update on the social networking site.u00a0The 28-year-old billionaire tied the knot with Priscilla Chan (27), in an intimate ceremony at his home in Palo Alto, in California attended by less than 100 guests.
More than 2,80,000 people âliked' the Facebook CEO's status change, which was accompanied by a photo of the happy couple in wedding attire.
In the picture, the famously casual Zuckerberg is wearing a dark blue suit and tie, a departure from his trademark hoodie, while Chan has on a sleeveless white dress with lace overlay.
Hush-hush plans
The nuptials took place a day after Facebook's record-breaking flotation on the stock market , which saw Zuckerberg become USD 12 billion richer.u00a0The King of the Geeks became the world's 23rd richest person with the record-breaking stock market launch, that also created more than 1,000 millionaires overnight.
Zuckerberg and his new wife had planned the exchange of vows for four months, but surprised their guests, who thought they were to celebrate Chan's recent graduation from medical school.u00a0"Everybody was shocked," the source said.
Zuckerberg's sister, Arielle Zuckerberg, posted, "Balls. Now I'm the only unmarried Zuckerberg..." on her Facebook page. She is listed by Chan as a family member on the site.u00a0Zuckerberg designed a simple ruby wedding ring for Chan himself.
Guests dined on food from the couple's favourite restaurants, and nibbled on mouse-shaped chocolates that the pair ate on their first date nine years ago.
According to David Kirkpatrick's book, The Facebook Effect, Zuckerberg met Chan while in line to use the bathroom at a Harvard University party. The pair dated on and off again in college, but maintained a relationship as the Facebook CEO rose in prominence in the technology world.
Facebook's IPO
After Friday's IPO, Zuckerberg remains Facebook's single largest shareholder, with 503.6 million shares. And he controls the company with 56 per cent of its voting stock.u00a0