Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown has exchanged vows with her husband for a second time – just five months after their wedding. In exclusive photographs of the event revealed in HELLO! magazine in February 2019, Candice said that she and Liam Macaulay always wanted to hold an intimate wedding ceremony, and had the chance to do so during their honeymoon in Thailand. The couple first got married at luxury French chateau in September last year in a ceremony exclusively covered by HELLO! before holding a reception for 100 guests. "Before we got married Liam had always said: 'If I had my way, we’d go away to a beach and get married, just the two of us,'"Candice told HELLO! "But my dad said to him: 'I don’t really mind what you do but don’t ever take her away to get married without me being there.'Liam is quite happy doing his own thing – he doesn’t like to be the centre of attention."
Candice Brown and Liam Macaulay exchanged their vows for the second time
As she planned the couple’s ten-day honeymoon in Thailand, where they stayed at the luxurious Akyra Beach Club hotel in Phuket, Candice came up with the idea for them to "say those vows again, just the two of us" in a paradise setting. At first she planned to keep it a secret. “But then Liam isn’t the sort of person who likes surprises very much. And when we were packing he talked about not taking much away and buying a few sarongs when we got out there. I said: 'Please take some nice shorts and a linen shirt.' And then I had to come clean about it."
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The bride wore a beautiful off-white dress by Russell Blackburn and an orchid in her hair and said they "laughed and giggled" their way through the service. "We can never keep a straight face when we look at each other. What set me off was when Liam said, in his very strong Scottish accent, he'd take me as his 'bird' rather than his 'wife' which he always calls me and really makes me giggle." After saying their vows they strolled in the soft, white sand and paddled in the crystal waters of the Andaman Sea before dining alfresco on fresh fish cooked on charcoal, washed down with bubbles.
The happy couple at the Akyra Beach Club Phuket
Candice has been particularly busy of late, with work trips to Sweden and Australia, adopting a new rescue dog called Albus and opening a pub with her brother Ben. The opportunities since Bake Off have been phenomenal and she knows how lucky she is. "I've been to the Bafta awards, written for The Sunday Times, published a book, worked alongside chef Tom Kerridge and been on trips with Gizzi Erskine, who I've always looked up to," she said of the celebrity chef, who happened to be in Thailand at the same time and with whom Candice and Liam spent a day snorkelling. "I've met three of the five Spice Girls, Dame Barbara Windsor and Sir David Jason. It's mind-blowing."
Liam has supported Candice throughout her career
Liam, who "supports everything I do", has been there throughout it all. He has also adapted well to the changes – and challenges – that Candice has embraced since her Bake Off triumph. A lesser man might not have coped so well. "We were tested quite early on in our relationship, and he didn't budge then," explained Candice. "I wasn’t very well, and following that I struggled with some mental health issues. It’s not something I really talk about, and at some point there might be a right time to do that, but Liam stayed by my side and that has always stuck with me."
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He has been equally supportive of her latest venture – buying and running a pub with her younger brother Ben in the "chocolate box" village of Eversholt near Milton Keynes. The newlyweds now live above it in a large flat. "We want to create the sort of place where someone comes in for lunch and then sits down on a comfy sofa and doesn’t leave until closing time," said Candice of The Green Man. "Or, if you want, you can sit in front of a fire with your dinner on your lap. It will be warmand cosy." Along with enjoying seasonal and local "comfort" food, customers can sample Candice's baked creations, including cakes, pies and sausage rolls. "I'll definitely be baking. I couldn't not. Can you imagine? There'd be uproar. They'd string me up." Liam runs a tree surgery business, which means they’ll "never be short of wood" for the pub's three log burners, and when Candice needs fruit for her crumble, he can help harvest the apples in the garden.
The couple are stronger than ever
Their honeymoon couldn't have come at a better time. Following a mad Christmas period, the pub is temporarily closed for refurbishment, leaving the couple free to escape guilt-free to Thailand. They spent two days in the capital, staying at the Akyra Thonglor Bangkok, where Candice sampled the local cuisine after stumbling across a food festival. "I got to try all the street food so I was in my element. Liam was like: 'What's that?' And I said: 'Dunno, but it tastes lovely!'" While in Phuket their itinerary has included little else other than relaxing by the pool and snorkelling, although Candice did come to grief on a rock. "But what's a honeymoon without a little bit of concussion?" she joked. More than anything, Candice has savoured the quality time with the man she describes as "my biggest cheerleader". "I know I’m very lucky. I adore him, he adores me, we’re best friends and we always will be."
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