HOLLYWOOD - Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn appear to have finally confirmed they are a couple, after being photographed canoodling on a hotel balcony in Chicago, Illinois.

Since filming upcoming movie The Break Up, co-stars Aniston and Vaughn have been blighted by rumours of romance, but have maintained they are simply the best of friends.

But pictures published in British newspaper the Daily Mirror indicate they are now officially an item--one shows the pair kissing on the balcony of the city's Peninsula Hotel while another, taken the same place the following morning, sees them enjoying a cup of coffee.

An onlooker tells the publication, "They keep saying they are just friends, but that kiss was much more than just friendly.

"Jennifer was sitting on Vince's lap and kept stroking his face. Then she kissed him. It was very passionate. They were hardly trying to keep it a secret, because lots of people saw them on the balcony. It was as if they didn't have a care in the world."

Aniston's divorce to Brad Pitt, her husband of four years, was finalized earlier this month.

Aniston and Vaughn to Wed After French Proposal?

Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn are planning a secret wedding after the actor proposed to the actress in Paris, France, according to U.S. reports. Friends claim Aniston has invited her former mother-in-law, Brad Pitt's mom, to the nuptials and Vaughn is going to great lengths to shape-up for the big day. A Pitt family source tells Life & Style magazine that Aniston has told her former sister-in-law Julie, who has also been invited to the wedding, that although a date has not been set, the actress would like it "sooner rather than later." Vaughn reportedly went down on one knee while the couple were in Europe promoting the film that brought them together, "The Break-Up." And Life & Style reports that Vaughn is so serious about looking his best when he weds Aniston, he has started the Zone diet, which Aniston has been a long-time fan of. According to the publication, Aniston told a friend, "He's started the Zone diet, and he's working out. He looks great." Aniston is reportedly waiting for the fuss about her ex-husband's new baby with Angelina Jolie to die down before exchanging vows with her reported new fiance. But an insider insists Aniston is getting serious about her wedding plans: "Jen's already asked Courtney Cox Arquette to be her matron of honor."