Something Old: My Charmed Life

Originally, I wasn't going to do the "Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" tradition. But, I found a way to work some Irish traditions in there, plus some family history, and now I'm sold on the whole deal :)

For my something old, I'm going to wear my charm bracelet, but as an anklet, because the little charms get caught in the lace of my dress (last thing I need is a snag!). Charm bracelets are a tradition in my family, given from mother to daughter. My mother started mine when I was eleven years old, and I've been collecting charms my whole life. Here's a breakdown of my charms:

1. BELL - Circa 2009. New for the wedding, and Irish tradition states that a bell should be rung on your wedding day. In the future, if any there is any discord or disagreements between you, the bell should be rung again to remind you of how happy you were on your wedding day. This little bell has a heart motif and actually rings, so I'll gently jingle down the aisle!
2. HORSESHOE: Circa 2009. Also new, another Irish tradition is a bride carrying a horseshoe down the aisle, held up, so the luck doesn't run out.
3. LUCKY 13: Circa 1993. This was a birthday gift on my 13th birthday, or, as I like to call it, the day I officially wasn't a kid anymore (in my eyes at least, ha!). Believe it or not, all I wanted to be as a kid when I grew up was an adult! Just couldn't wait to be recognized as a person, and not an adolescent. I thought that would magically happen after 12, so 13 was big for me. (The jury is still out on the matter of, if I am, in fact, now a grown-up.)
4. CAROUSEL HORSE: Circa 1995. This charm is from the Flying Horses in Martha's Vineyard, where I spent many summer trips visiting family on the island.
5. COMEDY/TRAGEDY MASK: Circa 1994. I was very active in theater from a young age. When I starred in my first "big" production, my mother got me this charm - the masks spin around! (FYI, the show was "Alice in Wonderland" and starred my uber talented friend, Aimee Lynn Chadwick, who has since gone on to be a movie star!)
6. PINEAPPLE: Circa 2005. Pineapples traditionally mean hospitality - I got this little charm on mine & FI's first trip together to Newport. It was the first thing he bought me :) (That wasn't edible...)
7. COWBOY BOOT: Circa 1991. My first charm, my mother got the boot in the bracelet on a trip to Texas.
8. BIRTHSTONE HEART: Age unknown. This charm is incredibly special to me, it is my birthstone, and was on my great-grandmother's charm bracelet. She and I were close when I was young, and nearly shared a birthday (hers is July 3, mine is July 4). When she passed away when I was 14, my grandmother gave me the charm.
9. FLAMINGO: Circa 2001. From one of my many trips to visit Florida family - Busch Gardens and Sea World are two of my favorite places on earth.
10. PIRATE SHIP: Circa 2006. This charm is from my first trip to the Outer Banks with FI's family. Blackbeard's ship, Queen Ann's Revenge, sank off the coast and there are many pirate tales and landmarks all over the banks.

I also have an item that could work as both "something old" and "something borrowed" - my grandmother is letting me use one of my great-great-grandmother's handkerchiefs. I'm so excited to carry wonderful history with me as a bride.

As for the other items to be fulfilled, my "something new" could be anything else that day - my dress and veil are both new. And my "something blue" is a lazy attempt - my eyes are blue, and I carry those with me always, so I'm just going with that!