Wedding receptions traditionally start with The Best Man's toast to the happy couple, and in recent years the Maid of Honor has also taken the spotlight to wish the bride and groom well. Guests raise their champagne flutes, perhaps a few tears fall from the sentimentality of what is said, and everyone is laughing and smiling about the funny little anecdote about what the bride said after her first date with the groom.

A great toast makes the party all the more special, but why limit it to just those two honored speakers? You can and should take the microphone too, thanking your parents, your new in-laws, your bridal party, and all of your guests for being a part of your special day. You can propose a toast to your groom, or he can lift his glass to you and tell the room how amazing you are. And many couples like to propose toasts to their wedding coordinators, the caterer, the staff of the site, the deejay or band, and others who really made their wedding dreams come true.

Without going too far with too many toasts proposed at your reception (you don't want your guests to suffer from arm strain or rotator cuff injuries from lifting their glasses too often!), here is a list of the many special people who can propose a special toast to you or to your family:

•Your parents
•Your father
•Your mother
•The groom's parents
•The groom's father
•The groom's mother
•Your kids, if you have them
•Your grandparents
•Your godparents
•Step-parents
•Your sibling(s)
•Your bridal party
•The person or people who introduced the two of you to one another
•Special relatives or friends not in the bridal party

If you love the idea of toasting all the special people in your lives, or you’ve had lots of requests from relatives and friends who wish to make a toast to you or to your family, don't forget that toasts can be made at any pre-wedding event, not just the reception. A few special words spoken at any celebration adds a touch of warmth and makes the moment extra-special for you. So consider the following opportunities for toasts to be proposed:

•Your engagement party
•The first planning meeting between your parents
•Bridal showers  and co-ed bridal showers
•Planning lunches or brunches with your bridal party members
•The bachelor's and bachelorette's parties
•Any wedding weekend activities, such as brunches, barbecues, or dinners at home
•The rehearsal dinner
•The After Party
•The morning-after breakfast

What makes any wedding event special are the people you share it with, and the words that are spoken either to or by you become a precious part of your memories that stay with you forever. So don’t forget that a private toast made by you or to you can be a very special part of your day.