Serena & Lukas

Serena & Lukas’ anniversary session at Raya Heritage was a quiet dream woven into the soul of Northern Thailand. Surrounded by the textures of Lanna tradition and the soft elegance of nature, their love unfolded effortlessly — pure, grounded, and full of light.

Step into this serene moment of connection and beauty, and let it carry you away.

Featured on: Once Wed

I have been married to Serena for 4 years and traveling has always been an essential part of our relationship. We have visited more than 30 countries together and we have been increasingly looking for culturally rich destinations and hotels with a very strong sense of place.

For our 4th anniversary, I chose a short trip to Northern Thailand, which was our second visit to the region. The first time, we visited in Chiang Mai shortly after we met each other and we focused on exploring the city of Chiang Mai and the delicious local cuisine. This time, we chose to stay in the magical Raya Heritage hotel outside of Chiang Mai in a more rural setting along the peaceful Ping river.

Raya Heritage hotel reflects on the traditional Lanna culture of Northern Thailand. Lanna means “Land of a million rice fields”. Inspired by the art and craftsmanship of this ancient kingdom, which flourished from the 13th to 18th centuries across northern Thailand as well as northern Laos, Myanmar and also parts of Yunnan, China, Raya Heritage mixes the simple charm and character of the region’s history with discreet, personalized service in a relaxed, riverside setting.

For this special occasion, I prepared a little surprise for Serena and invited our wedding photographer Mr. Stepan Vrzala to do an improvised photoshoot in the hotel’s lush gardens along the Ping river. Stepan’s unique approach to fine art photography was a perfect fit for the place and occasion. We basically just had a fun afternoon with him and took some photographs that will make these special moments stay with us forever.

SERENA & Lukas