Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, revealed his secret marriage to long-term partner, Priscilla Chan, on May 19 through a status update on the social networking site this Saturday.

Mr Zuckerberg's status about his wedding has received nearly one million 'likes' and over 700 comments.

Mr Zuckerberg met his Chinese-American wife as a student at Harvard and had been dating her for ten years.

Guests attending the surprise ceremony, which was held at Mr Zuckerberg's home in Palo Alto, California, were unaware that it was a marriage ceremony until they arrived.

According to The Times of Israel, Mark Zuckerberg was "raised Jewish and had a barmitzvah" but "describes himself as an 'atheist'". It is not thought that the wedding ceremony involved any religious element.

The announcement came just a day after Facebook revealed its plan to begin selling shares in the world stock market, making it one of the biggest and most anticipated events in corporate history.

Facebook will be selling shares at $38, giving the social networking site a value of around $104 billion. Zuckerberg owns 24 percent of Facebook, also making him one of the richest young billionaires in the world.