What the child did not know, was the expense behind the dream. The average cost of a wedding in 2011 was $25,631, TheWeddingReport.com reports.

“A lot of brides underestimate what goes into a wedding and of the various aspects,” said Brett Reynolds, CEO of the recently launched Wedding.com. Reynolds and his wife began the site after realizing the difficulties of budgeting their own wedding.

“Your budget at the beginning may very well not be your budget at the end,” he said. “That’s where a checklist or a budget tool comes into play, because it helps couples recognize and plan for things they may not have thought about in the first place.”

#1 – Start Building The Checklist

When you think of a wedding, what comes to mind first? Maybe it’s the number of attendees. It could be the food, the ceremony, the bride’s gown or the exchange of rings. But what about the officiate fee, which can be between $150-$400 on average? Or what about the all-important, and absolutely necessary, marriage license? In Los Angeles County, a public marriage license costs $90.

Putting all of the elements of the wedding together can be like a 1,000-piece puzzle.

“We almost had a business plan of how we were going to budget our wedding,” Reynolds recalled. Building a list of costs, based on the determined number of guests, can help create a foundation for what the wedding could be. There are a variety of online tools, such as those on Wedding.com, that can help couples organize their finances for the big day. From that list, prioritize the most important aspects of the wedding.

#2 – Get Multiple Quotes And References To Get ‘Value’

Talking to friends who have been married can be a good start for discovering wedding vendors. The Internet allows couples to research vendors, either through the vendor’s Web site or rating sites like Yelp.

Reynolds’ site, Wedding.com, offers tools and tips for planning the big day, as well as a social element that allows brides (and grooms) to connect with vendors to get multiple quotes and shop for the best value.

“It’s so important to get multiple quotes. A lot of people are just so pressed for time that they get one quote and end up spending too much,” Reynolds said. “Our idea was that we were going to get at lease five proposals from each category that we needed [for our wedding]. That way, we could compare them and see what the differences were. The goal wasn’t necessarily an inexpensive wedding, but we were trying to get value.”

In addition to quotes on services, it is recommended to get references from vendors. Because the wedding industry is so competitive, brides can use that to their advantage, Reynolds said. “Get a lot of quotes and be able to negotiate. Don’t go for a cheap wedding. I think that is a huge mistake. Go for value. Try to find the best vendors and the best quality, but at the best prices. If they do things cheaply, [the couple is] going to be very disappointed.”

#3 – Consider Backyard And All-Inclusive Venues

The thrifty bride may discover venue prices and location fees range from $500 to well over $1,000. That might cause her jaw drop to the floor. But there are alternatives out there, and cost-effective ones, too. If you know someone who owns a private home or piece of property you love, and that person would be willing to open up their real estate to you for your big day, take advantage of the situation. Renting a small gazebo can cost about $50. Chairs can run about $2 to $3 each, and tables should be under $40.

Having the wedding at a small church or temple should cost less than $5,000. Wayfarers Chapel in Palos Verdes charges $3,000 for a weekend wedding and $2,200 for a Monday through Thursday wedding; Friday weddings cost $2,700. Those prices include: the use of the chapel for two hours; the chapel minister; staff to guide the wedding rehearsal; wedding music by the chapel keyboardist; candles on the altar; and wedding conferences.

Wayfarers’ calls the cost a “wedding contribution,” as the overall cost is tax-deductible. Cha-ching!

#4 – Explore Bridal Consignment Shops Or Etsy.com

A wedding is the first day of the rest of your life with your partner. But after that special day, brides most likely won’t wear their dress again. Some keep their dresses as heirlooms or memories, while others may opt to consign.

Los Angeles is home to a wide variety of consignment shops, including the bridal consignment boutique White Magnolia. “Buying a new, sample, or once-worn wedding dress from a consignment boutique, like White Magnolia, is a great idea for a bride that doesn’t want to compromise style or customer service for price,” said the shop’s co-owner Carolyn Tao. “Prices are generally 40 to 75 percent off retail for designer gowns (like Monique Lhuillier, Vera Wang, Jim Hjelm) that are inspected to ensure great condition.”

Another trend among budget savvy brides is to look for designers and seamstresses on Etsy.com, a site that lets its users buy and sell handmade and vintage items. Brides send ideas and pictures of what their ideal dress would look like to an Etsy user, who can then make the dress for a price lower than many retailers.

#5 – Recycle For The Perfect Budget Ring

A growing trend among brides and grooms is taking family rings or rings purchased from estate sales and melting down the metal to create a brand new ring. Janis Krantz, owner of J&L Jewelry in Long Beach, said she is able to recycle grandma’s and mom’s rings to “create something modern.”

“Maybe you don’t like the ring, but we can use that gold and buy that diamond to make what we want,” Krantz said. “There’s a way to make a ring for every budget. I have an estate case where I have customers selling rings and all kinds of jewelry. Typically there’s a good price on rings. ... We’re making rings out of what they have, and it’s going to cost them maybe $600. So there are ways if mom is willing to donate. That’s about as low as it gets. And then you can go from there.”

Etsy.com also has a variety of handmade and recycled metal rings at a wide range of prices. The online shop also allows sellers to post antique rings, with styles from 1920s filigree rings to 1940s gold rings, from Art Deco to Victorian and everything in between.

#6 – Keep The Menu And Décor Simple

A significant part of the wedding ceremony and reception that can take a large chunk of your wedding budget is the décor – more specifically, flower arrangements. According to TheWeddingReport.com, the total of the average cost for boutonnieres, corsages, a bridal bouquet, ceremony flower arrangements and reception table centerpieces is $855. That’s not including bridesmaid bouquets, flower girl flowers and other floral arrangements.

Buying and creating your own centerpieces, bouquets and boutonnieres is a cost effective alternative to the local florist. The Los Angeles Flower District opens its plethora of floral arrangement supplies – floral tape, twine, lapel pins and nearly every flower imaginable – to the public during its non-trade hours for a small entry fee.

“For some brides, it’s the décor and less on the food. For other brides, it’s all about the food and less on the décor,” according to Syndi Croad, owner of Moon Dance Catering in Long Beach. “Because we’re event production and catering, there are times when we’ve spent way more on florals and linen and props and lighting, and then gone to a very simple menu. It’s still good quality food, but it’s just nothing over the top.”

To cut costs on catering, Croad said the best way is to cut back on labor by not being so elaborate with the food menu. The more elaborate, the more labor intensive it is. Mood Dance customizes its clients’ menus to accommodate both taste and budget. “It’s really a matter of sitting down with the bride and groom, finding out who they are and hitting the mark with doing something unique and different,” she said. “It takes a little time and effort, but it can be done and we’re doing it.”

#7 Get Digital Photos And Print Them Yourself

KrisD Mauga, owner of KrashingMotions Photography in Long Beach, said the brides she works with prioritize photography near the top of their list. For many couples, capturing the day on film is their way to preserve the fun times and heartfelt moments for generations.

Mauga’s recommendation to save money on photography is to get coverage and purchasing rights from the photographer. That way, she said, couples are not obligated to purchase prints or a flesh-mount album.

“I have a very simple collection, which is digital and coverage,” Mauga said. “They get all their images online in a proofing gallery, and they also get a PASS Gallery, which is a cloud gallery. It’s a new and innovative way for clients to get their images instead of having them on CDs or DVDs. [From there], they can download them to their computer in a high-resolution file ... [and] they can actually go and print off of their own computer or at any local photo lab.” Based on her experience, Mauga recommends Costco.

While these seven tips provide a launching point for planning a cost-effective wedding, they don’t necessarily cut down the time it takes to plan your big day. Reynolds said his wedding took six months of active planning, including some stressful moments.

“For people ready to get married, going through this process could be stressful because you’re planning and talking about money,” he said. “The easier you make that process, the better it is [and] it will be good for your marriage.”