Baked Potato Bar?

Ask your caterer how they handle baked potato bars. I would assume that chafing dishes would work, but your caterer will know best.

I agree with Hanna. Because if you make them in the morning they could possibly still need to be warmed up before 4:45. But it also depends if they’re wrapped in foil or not. At any rate, the caterer should be able to help you with this.

It sounds like you are trying to DIY which will potentially backfire on you. A baked potato bar is common on most catering luncheon menus so caterers have experience with this. Chafing dishes and carefully monitoring temperatures for food safety is vital.

The caterer will know how to keep items at food safe temperatures. Love the idea of a baked potato bar!

The weather will be in the 60's? Just curious, how are you going to keep guests warm? That's pretty chilly for a whole reception. If you have awesome ideas on that, that's great. Will the space be tented? Are you renting heaters? So much to think about!

Wrap the potatoes in foil before you cook them.
Get a new cooler big enough to hold all the potatoes. Measure - do a test run with a box to make sure enough potatoes will fit without leaving a lot of empty air space. Bake the potatoes. When they’re about halfway done (or when first batch is halfway done if you have a couple batches) bring a large saucepan of water to almost a boil - very hot but not boiling. Pour the hot water into the cooler and close the lid. Let the water sit in the cooler until right before the potatoes are done. Dump the water out and thoroughly dry the cooler. Puut a piece of foil in the bottom of the cooler then place a clean kitchen towel on top of the foil then layer in the potatoes - pack em in, don’t leave much extra room. If you’re doing another batch, place another clean kitchen towel on top of the potatoes and then lay a piece of tin foil over the towel. Close the cooler lid. After all the potatoes are in the cooler, cover with another clean kitchen towel and a piece of foil. Make sure the foil covers the whole top and press down gently so the foil is pressed against the potatoes. Shut the lid. Leave it shut until ready to serve. Depending on formality, you can serve from the cooler with rings or move to a chafing dish before service. As for the butter and other toppings that need to stay cool, set them up in double containers. The bottom container is bigger and has ice on it. The top container fits into the bottom container so that the ice comes up the sides and the chilled item goes in the top container. Refill the chilled items from the fridge rather than putting it all out at once.

This might not be your vision, but a mashed potato bar seems easier. They can be easily heated in an oven and kept warm in a chafing dish. Butter can be held on ice to keep from melting, but can also stay at ambient temperature if it'll be in the 60s.

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A caveat to this plan. Some people use cream or milk in mashed potato. This is not stable at ambient temperatures. Self-catering in any case is not a great idea, because of the experience needed to prep, store, and serve food safely.