Varun Tej and Lavanya Tripathi make relationship official in dreamy summer engagement; see pics

Lavanya Tripathi and Varun Tej during their engagement, Pic/Tej`s Instagram

After months of conjecture, Tollywood stars Varun Tej and Lavanya Tripathi got engaged in a private ceremony on June 9^th, 2023 at Tej's Hyderabad residence. The couple exchanged rings amidst a close-knit gathering of family and friends.

Their romance had reportedly been stewing for several years. Tej and Tripathi have shared screen space in two films so far. It was on one of the sets of these films (‘Mister', 2015) that the Telugu heartthrob and Tollywood resident beauty met for the first time. However, it was only during the shooting of their second film, ‘Antariksham 9000 KMPH', when rumours about their relationship started making the rounds. Although the couple remained tight-lipped about whether or not they were together, they were subsequently spotted at various parties and events together, including the wedding of Tej's sister Niharika Konidela in 2020. Tripathi's presence piqued further about their relationship but the couple claimed that they are "just friends". On June 9th, the couple finally took to Instagram to publicly announce their union and share the first pictures of the ceremony.

Varun and Lavanya's Instagram pictures teased an insider look at the beautiful ceremony at the Tej residence, tastefully decorated in an ivory/soft pink/pastel green theme. While the ‘Ghani' actor was styled in a Tarun Tahilani white ethnic suit, Lavanya stole the show in Anita Dongre's pistachio saree paired with a statement emerald-silver neckpiece, complete with traditional gajra woven through her hair bun. Their dreamy ensemble complemented with her exquisite ring and his classic band elevated the couple's summer-accented and stately union. Tej captioned the photo, "Found my Lav!"

The couple's Instagram photos from a week ago where they hinted about holidaying in Italy together also made fans speculate as to whether they picked up their engagement shopping in one of the biggest global fashion destinations.

For the unversed, Varun Tej is the son of Telugu actor and producer Nagendra Babu, and belongs to a high-profile film fratenity. He is the nephew of actors Chiranjeevi and Pawan Kalyan. His younger sister Niharika is also an actress and producer. RRR and Pushpa legends Ram Charan and Allu Arjun and Allu Sirish, Sai Tej and Panja Vaishnav Tej are his cousins.

The engagement was graced by several of these family members, friends and high-profile guests. Moments before the engagement, Varun's cousins Allu Arjun, Ram Charan, and superstar Chiranjeevi were spotted arriving in their stylish SUVs. The ‘Pushpa' star arrived in an understated beige kurta for the auspicious family occasion. Ram Charan arrived with pregnant wife Upasana Kamineni a few minutes later.

On the work front, Varun will next be seen in 'Gandeevadhari Arjuna'. The action entertainer will be directed by Praveen Sattaru. He also has 'VT13' in the works where he will be seen as an Indian Air Force pilot. Lavanya, who was last seen in 'Happy Birthday', is waiting for the release of her next, ‘Thanal'.

The couple will reportedly tie the knot later this year.