Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan have come a long way, and so has their love. The two who met at Harvard as students are now billionaires. The two initially encountered each other at a college party and went on to marry each other in 2012.
The couple shares three daughters from their marriage. Mark and Priscilla are co-parents to August, Maxima, and Aurelia. Here are some peculiar details about Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s marriage that you need to know.
Mark and Priscilla’s ‘Weird’ First Meeting
The couple, who is now married with three kids, did not exactly meet in the most conventional way. The Meta founder who attended Harvard almost got thrown out of the school for a prank he played.
Mark’s friends decided to throw him a farewell party that led to him meeting his now wife. Priscilla, who was in attendance at the party, encountered Zuckerberg while in the line to go to the washroom.
Facebook Boss Mark Zuckerberg Celebrates 5th Wedding Anniversary With Wife (Photo) https://t.co/26oxSPRafQ pic.twitter.com/OP3n4GR4kx
— 🇳🇬 Chi-Chi Nwa’ Africa 🇳🇬 (@chichinwaafrica) May 20, 2017
“We met in line for the bathroom in the Pfoho Belltower,” the billionaire revealed. Zuckerberg also shared that it was love at first sight for him.
Mark and Priscilla Married a Day After Facebook’s IPO Went Live
Mark and Priscilla got married in 2012 in a ceremony at their Palo Alto estate. The wedding took place on May 18, a day after Facebook’s IPO went live. People could not help but speculate about the peculiar timing of the wedding until the couple explained it.
Mark explained how the wedding came about in a Facebook post half a decade later. He revealed that the “secret wedding” was kept so under wraps that even Facebook’s CFO did not know about it.
“When I originally set the date for our surprise, we had no idea when the IPO would be,” he wrote in the 2017 post.
The Couple Opted Out of a Big Wedding for an Intimate Wedding
Mark and Priscilla surprisingly ditched the big fat wedding. The world was surprised when the news of the “secret wedding” broke out. The billionaire and his girlfriend had decided to get married in an intimate ceremony at their home in Palo Alto.
The food for their wedding was catered from Palo Alto Sol. They served their guests Fuki Sushi and Mexican food.
Celebrating the most important person in my life. You are a great partner, mother, and friend, and I’m grateful to share this life with you. pic.twitter.com/LYfoEGjOa6
— Mark Zuckerberg (Parody) (@MarkCrtlC) February 25, 2025
Chan reportedly wore a $4,700 wedding gown that was designed by Claire Pettibone. Billie Joe Armstrong, who is the lead singer of the famous band Green Day, sang at the wedding.
“Priscilla and I wanted a low key wedding so we decided to make it a surprise and have it in our backyard,” Zuckerberg confessed in a Facebook post a few years after the wedding.
Mark Zuckerberg Got a Massive Statue of Priscilla Made
In August 2024, Mark shared the details about his grand romantic gesture for his wife. The Meta founder took to Instagram to share a picture of the massive sculpture and Priscilla.
The statue stands at seven feet and looks identical to Chan. In the photo, Priscilla stood under the statue while she enjoyed a cup of coffee. “Bringing back the Roman tradition of making sculptures of your wife,” he wrote in the captain accompanying the snap.
Can anyone believe this?
Priscilla Chan poses in front of a statue of herself that was commissioned by her billionaire husband Mark Zuckerberg – pic.twitter.com/LmDScAjUKI
— Blanche Victoria (@tammytabby) October 22, 2024
The statue was created by American artist Daniel Arsham. Arsham is widely known around the world for his work in sculpture and architecture. The billionaire was criticized heavily for the statue that was supposed to be a sweet gesture for his wife.
People questioned Zuckerberg’s decision not to choose a local artist for the project. Max Blue, who is a critic at the San Francisco, even gave his take on the statue. “It seems to me that Zuckerberg just wants to create a space of total unreality,” Blue pointed out.
Mark and Priscilla Fought Over a Fighting Ring
The Facebook creator and his wife apparently got into an argument over a fighting ring. The fight followed after Mark openly challenged Elon Musk to a cage match in 2023.
Mark apparently decided to install an MMA fighting cage in the backyard of his home after the public confrontation. Zuckerberg took to Instagram to post a screenshot of a conversation between him and his wife.
“Did you see the octagon I put in the backyard?” Mark questioned in the chat. His wife answered, revealing that she had seen the cage. The billionaire went on to gush about how awesome the new addition to the backyard was. “Mark,” Priscilla’s wrote, seemingly frustrated. In the conversation, she went on to reveal how she had “worked” on the grass for 2 years.
Mark ended up putting a poll up on his story to settle the matter with his wife. The majority of his followers eventually voted for him to keep the cage.
Priscilla Thought Mark Zuckerberg Didn’t Have a Future
Priscilla has previously opened up about how she wasn’t sure if she and Mark would make it. She shared how she almost did not take the relationship forward with Zuckerberg after a few dates.
During an interview with CBS Mornings, the mother of three spoke about how she was concerned about Mark’s future. “There was a major red flag,” she began. Priscilla went on to explain how she was a “type-A” student when it came to academics.
Mark Zuckerberg celebrates wedding anniversary with wife, Priscilla Chan
I can’t believe that next year we’ll have been together for half our lives. I also can’t believe that on our anniversary hike, even our camera got sunscreen on it. pic.twitter.com/th6yBx3lPX
— Upshot Reports (@upshotreports) May 20, 2021
She recalled how, during the end of their second date, Zuckerberg told her how he had mid-terms coming up but would “rather hang out” with her. “I was like, ‘this guy is going nowhere, he’s blowing off his homework,’” she shared.
Mark eventually dropped out of Harvard to run Facebook, which ended up being a worldwide success. Priscilla also mentioned how she hadn’t in her “wildest dreams” thought that Facebook would turn out to be such a big deal. The two were students at Harvard when they met.
Mark and Priscilla Were Accused of Being Colonizers
Mark and Priscilla own real estate in Hawaii that is estimated to be worth $100 million by Wired. The couple bought the land located on the Kauai island in 2014. Reportedly, one of Mark’s shell companies filed a lawsuit against the natives to intimidate them into selling their lands.
Mark Zuckerberg Drops $100 Million on Hawaiian Property https://t.co/ui1C8eThNG pic.twitter.com/spWYPglWoQ
— PatriotGames (@HomeRunVet) October 14, 2014
The billionaire was under fire in 2017 when the news came to light. People accused the Meta owner and his wife of trying to colonize the island of Kauai. Matters got so bad that a native Hawaiin started a campaign in 2o20 to stop the billionaire from “colonizing” the island.
A local spoke about how Zuckerberg’s buying land on the island contributed to their struggles while speaking with Wired. “The people who are born and raised here can’t afford to live here,” the source revealed. The native also revealed how there is a “whole new economy” on the island to serve “rich peoples’ whims” thanks to Zuckerberg.
