God is in the details

A few years ago, I was fortunate enough to attend an event at the Tuckahoe Women's Club in Richmond, Virginia, featuring famed event planner David Monn. When talking about his work, he repeatedly said a phrase that has stuck with me, "God is in the details." This philosophy is a core tenet in his approach and a driving force in his work.

How does he do this in practice? Here is an example: the flower combinations he uses are those that would only occur naturally, i.e., winter berries and summer flowers would not be used at the same event. If you don't see it occur in nature, you won't see it in a David Monn event.

Birth of Venus

The idea that beauty in the world reflects God is one that is as old as time. Ancient Greek and Roman philosophers viewed beauty as a reflection of a higher form. The investment of money, time, and skill used to create the Sistine Chapel is a demonstration of this belief.

Tenets of traditional architecture believe that beauty is not subjective, but created by symmetry, order, and harmony. There is a truth to it. Keats attempted to explain this in "Ode on a Grecian Urn," in which he wrote, "Beauty is truth, truth beauty." Although, I think Google AI did a better job of breaking it down: "True beauty is not just superficial, but also encompasses the deeper, more profound truths of life." This explains how something seemingly ugly like rotting fruit, when captured in a painting can be so captivating. So let us agree that creating a beautiful home is not a trivial pursuit, but one filled with substantial meaning, perhaps even ethereal.