Browsing breakfast catering got me really interested: fresh fruit and pastry platters, bagel crates, and three different kinds of quiches–classic Lorraine, spinach-pine nut, and leek-goat cheese. Most temptingly: smoked salmon with capers, red onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers with baguettes and crackers.

I called the Monterey store and was connected to Kim, in charge of deli and catering. From the outset and throughout planning, she was nothing but helpful, creative, and flexible. That first call, though, we fleshed out a rough plan based on known and unknown factors. For this last rather casual post-wedding festivity of the weekend, we knew we’d have anywhere from 25 to as many as 100 people.

I absolutely cannot stand any food being wasted. But we didn’t want to run out of food before everyone had eaten their fill either. Kim suggested cutting items into smaller-than-standard portions. The croissants, sticky buns, muffins, and breads were cut in half. The large bagels were sliced in quarters. The quiches would be sliced in 10 rather than 8 pieces. Kim also suggested smaller plates for smaller portions. Drinks accompanying the platters would be half-gallon juice jugs and boxed freshly brewed regular and decaf coffees. All cups, cream, sugar, stirrers, plates, napkins, and utensils were thrown in free. Total cost for brunch: $354.

I was delighted to find Whole Foods Market a 10-minute jog from our motel. I met with Kim 2 days before the wedding to finalize everything. Whole Foods Market is a natural-food person’s dream. At the entrance are bins of fresh organic produce overflowing with fruit and veggies, covered by overhanging roof and colorful parasols. But Whole Foods is not just about produce; it’s about all foods. Wandering through their Monterey store, I found the seafood section, a wide selection of abundance, looking like the fish just jumped out of the ocean 10 minutes ago. Freshness and avoidance of preservatives are priorities. Meats and poultry are guaranteed raised without hormones, antibiotics, or animal by-products. Traditional European-style hearth-baked breads and desserts grace the bakery section. And the cheese and wine sections made me want to have a happy hour right now.

After checking out Lovers Point the day before the wedding, my ex-husband, son, and I stopped at Whole Foods for a bite to eat. Their deli offers a wide selection of wraps, sandwiches, salads, and hot entrees. This store even has a fresh sushi bar. You can enjoy your food and drink seated at tables indoors or outside, as we did.

Whole Foods was born in Austin, Texas, in 1980, expanded into other states in the 1980s, went public (NASDAQ) in 1992, and became international in 2002.

We stopped in to buy a few foodstuffs for our trip to the aquarium. We bought everything from the counter staff, including roast beef and Black Forest ham for sandwiches, and both were very fresh and flavorful. My husband loved the Moroccan chicken salad. We also bought two cookies, which were expensive at 99 cents each, but oh-so worth it. I had cranberry orange, and Jason had espresso chocolate, which even I had a taste of (and I hate coffee flavors).

Help was quick, especially when we couldn't figure out what to buy. The store was clean and neat and had an amazing amount of prepared food and fruits.

Phone number: 831-333-1600