Lucy’s PMSS Story

Since I was a little girl, I always looked forward to trips to Pine Mountain Settlement School. Whether it was attending a community church service, performing with Higher Ground, or bringing out-of-town family to experience one of the most beautiful places in Eastern Kentucky, I always left grateful that I had gone.

Years later, I had moved away from home and met the love of my life. As I found myself deep in wedding planning, thoughts of the mountains kept finding their way back to me. I knew then that I wanted to get married in the place that had brought me so much joy throughout my childhood. My fiancé had never been there. Most of my friends had never been there. Many of our guests had never experienced Eastern Kentucky at all. But the whispers of the mountains were calling me back home.

We had a lot of people we wanted to celebrate with. At many places, it felt like there was room for the event, but not room for the community we wanted to gather. What we loved about Pine Mountain Settlement School was that we were not simply renting a venue. We were welcoming our loved ones into our own piece of the mountains for an entire weekend.

We reserved the chapel, cabins, and dorms so our family and friends could stay together throughout the celebration. We gathered around bonfires the nights before and after the wedding, sharing stories and laughter under the stars. Bluegrass music echoed through the chapel as my husband and I stood before the Lord and committed our lives to one another, surrounded by the people we love most.

Community has always been at the center of our lives, and Pine Mountain Settlement School made it possible for us to honor that in a meaningful way. It was a perfect October day, and the mountains put on a show for our guests as they experienced Eastern Kentucky for the first time. There was no cell service, and the winding roads required a little patience, but in many ways, that was part of the gift. Everyone unplugged, slowed down, and focused on what truly mattered: faith, family, friendship, and the joy of being together.

Our wedding weekend was everything we hoped it would be, and Pine Mountain Settlement School will forever hold an even more special place in our hearts because of it!

-Lucy Bryson Cole