In the back yard of their house

One day after Facebook chief Mark Zuckerberg saw through the landmark initial public offering of his company, he chalked up a personal landmark by marrying his long-time girlfriend, Priscilla Chan.

The couple wed Saturday in the backyard of their modest home in Palo Alto, California, with fewer than 100 people in attendance, a spokesperson authorized to speak on behalf of the couple said.  

Guests arrived believing they were attending a graduation party for Chan, who graduated from medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, on May 14.

Upon arriving, they learned they were actually attending a wedding, the spokesperson said.  

The guests, limited to the couple’s family and close friends, ate a meal catered by Palo Alto restaurants Palo Alto Sole and Fuki Sushi. They capped off the meal with sweets the couple had eaten on their first date: Burdick chocolate mice.  

Zuckerberg gave his bride a simple ruby ring he had designed himself, the spokesman said.

He ditched his traditional sweatshirt “hoodie” for a jacket and tie, while Chan wore a lace-topped sleeveless dress and a veil over swept-back hair.  

Chan and Zuckerberg started planning the event four to five months ago, the spokesman said.  

The couple met as undergraduates at Harvard in 2004.

While Zuckerberg famously dropped out to work on Facebook, Chan, a paediatrician, stayed to earn her undergraduate degree in 2007.  

They both changed their status to “married” on their Facebook pages.