It is not considered valid marriage. The line between fornication and marriage is virtually impossible to draw if the beginning of marriage is not marked by a particular event, by some form of a wedding. Marriage should include those social or civil steps which make it a legitimate marriage in one's society. Jewish social practices by the time of Christ included a covenant with witnesses at the time of espousal and a feast with family and friends at the time of marriage. Although the Bible does not prescribe any socio-civil steps for marriage, we can assume God's people have followed and should follow social propriety and civil guidelines in getting married.
Marriage gives the right to experience the bond of physical union.
On the basis of the above Scriptures, some people consider physical union integral to marriage, so that if no sexual relations follow the wedding ceremony, it is not a valid marriage. The point is debatable. Rather than absolutely requiring physical union for marriage, the Bible would rather seem to expect it. The sexual relationship is a very fundamental and tangible expression of the oneness and commitment of marriage, and to deprive one another sexually in marriage is wrong. Others have carried the point of physical union even further, saying that it IS the marriage bond, that those who have a sexual relationship have formed a marriage bond.