STORY | KEUKENHOF

Maternity Photos at Keukenhof in Early May

By Aleksandria Rudenko | Updated 5 November 2026

Low view through blurred orange, yellow and pink tulips to a couple kissing under tall trees during their maternity photos at Keukenhof

Moritz and Greta came over from Germany in early May, a few months before their first baby was due. They wanted maternity photos at Keukenhof before the garden closed for the year.

Greta had followed my tulip photoshoots at Keukenhof for a while. So they booked one more spring hour as two, before they became three.

Maternity Photos Among Pink Rhododendrons

Keukenhof opens for about eight weeks each spring, and early May brings the end of its season. By then, the big rhododendrons along the paths stand in full bloom. So we started under one covered in pink flowers. Greta wore a white dress with blue vines, Moritz a light blue shirt.

Pregnant woman in a white dress with blue vines and her partner under a huge rhododendron covered in pink blooms, a pink flower blurred in front

Smiling at the camera, she holds her bump as he looks down at it among pink rhododendrons, a maternity shoot on an early May visit to Keukenhof — Rhododendrons in full bloom, early May

Hugging her from behind among pink rhododendron blooms, he leans his face close to hers as she laughs, his hands over hers on the bump

I asked Moritz to stand behind her and simply hold on. A moment later, Greta laughed at something he whispered, and the blooms framed them both.

Two Pairs of Hands on the Bump

For the details, I went in close: four hands resting on the bump, with a pink flower right beside them. Greta had picked the dress from my outfit suggestions, and its blue print looked lovely against all that green.

Close-up of four hands resting on a baby bump in a white dress with blue vines, a pink rhododendron flower and dark leaves to the left

Then I gave Greta a few minutes on her own among the flowers. After that, Moritz stepped back in and kissed her temple, while she smiled straight at me.

Maternity portrait at Keukenhof of a smiling woman with long blond hair, her hands on the bump and pink rhododendron flowers around her head

He kisses her temple from behind while she smiles at the camera, both hands on her bump, rhododendrons a soft pink blur behind them

Full-length maternity portrait of a couple on a herringbone brick path at Keukenhof, a rhododendron in bloom and orange tulips behind

On a herringbone brick path nearby, they stood close for a full-length frame, a rhododendron behind them and orange tulips to the side.

Before Greta changed, we walked to a stream lined with tulip beds, where the paths are wide and the trees tall.

Expecting couple on a path by a stream during their maternity session at Keukenhof, beds of yellow and orange tulips along the banks

A Second Dress for More Maternity Photos

For the second half of their maternity photos at Keukenhof, Greta had brought a short powder-blue dress with puff sleeves. Moritz swapped his shirt for a navy polo. Right away, he knelt beside her and kissed the bump.

Kneeling beside her, a man in a navy polo kisses the bump of his partner in a powder-blue dress, tulips soft in the background

From there, we followed a winding path between beds of yellow, orange and apricot tulips. I asked them to walk slowly, and the rest came on its own: a kiss, a little kick of her heel, Greta laughing.

Couple walking close on a curving dirt path between beds of yellow, orange and peach tulips, she in a short powder-blue dress

Playful kiss on a winding garden path, she lifts one foot in a black sandal while he holds her close, rows of tulips behind — A winding path between late tulips

Further along, apricot tulips leaned over the path. Moritz kissed her temple, and then they walked on hand in hand, Greta looking down at the bump.

Kiss on the temple among apricot tulips during their maternity photos at Keukenhof, the path curving away between green trees

Walking hand in hand along a path lined with apricot tulips, she smiles down at her bump in a powder-blue dress with puff sleeves

The Last Tulips of the Season

Early May is late for tulips, yet whole beds still stood in full color. In a wide bed under tall trees, softened by a light haze, they held hands at arm’s length.

Holding hands at arm's length in a wide bed of mixed tulips, an expecting couple on an early May visit to Keukenhof, trees in a light haze

Next, Moritz spun her around, while Greta kept one hand on the bump. For my last frame there, I crouched low behind the flowers as they kissed under the trees. That frame opens this story.

He twirls her by the hand among orange, white and pink tulips, her other hand on the bump, tall tree trunks behind them

A Bench Behind the Pink Tulips

We ended on a wooden bench behind a bed of pink tulips. Moritz sat behind Greta with his arms around the bump, and for a while they just looked out at the garden together.

Sitting on a bench in front of pink tulips, he holds her from behind with both arms around the bump while they look off to one side

Forehead to forehead on a wooden bench behind a bed of pink tulips, the last frame of their maternity photos at Keukenhof — A bench behind pink tulips, at the end of the hour

A few months later, they were a family of three, and one of the bench photos went up on their wall.

Curious when rhododendrons and tulips bloom together? Read when to visit Keukenhof for photos.

Planning maternity photos at Keukenhof of your own? Discover how my tulip photoshoots at Keukenhof work.