People married before don’t require a full week of sheva brachot. What about people civilly married before, but now baalei teshuva who had no chupa etc. but did have a civil marriage?
Answer:
The custom is that if the chasan is a bachur (he has never been married in Torah law) the full sheva berachos are made, even if he has been together with his wife before the wedding.
See Sova Semachos (1:1). Although Peninei Sheva Berachos cites from Rav Elyashiv zt”l who was stringent on the matter (the stringent opinion draws from the Noda Biyhuda), the general custom is to follow the lenient ruling (based on the Chasam Sofer). See also Teshuvos Ve-Hanhagos (1:755).
However, this ruling relies on the fact that there is a special joy of being together as a married couple, and having been together as a non-married couple does not take away this special joy.
If, however, the couple were living together for a significant period as a married couple, so that there is no effective difference in the relationship before and after the chupah, it is harder to be lenient, and a number of authorities are stringent under these circumstances not to have the full week of sheva berachos.
See Shevet Ha-Levi, Vol. 4 no. 173; Piskei Din (Jerusalem) Vol. 7 p. 533; Peninei Sheva Berachos p. 32.
Best wishes.
