Serving pasta in a chafing dish for a crowd

Hi!

I'm having a mid-sized family event this weekend (baptism) and am serving some pasta. If it matters, the pasta is actually a gluten-free Penne (Catelli).

I've been reading up on cooking the pasta to al dente, cooling it fast and adding oil to avoid sticking.

However, given the nature of my event, the pasta has to sit in a chafing dish and then be served, maybe 30 minutes later (minimum). I want to obviously be present for the ceremony element and not working on cooking pasta!

I have a chafing dish and know how to use it properly with steam. What I'm not knowledgeable on is the food part!

So, here's what I'm wondering:

For this pasta to be decent, must I only put it in the chafer right before serving? Or can I prep it, have the ceremony, and go straight to everyone eating? What's the best, simple way to do this? I simply don't want to make everyone wait after the ceremony (to flash-heat pasta or heat up sauce etc), but I also want to be fully present during the ceremony.

I was hoping it's possible to actually heat the sauce (3-4 jars) in the chaffing dish (if anyone knows how long it takes?), then just reheat the pasta in there with it, assuming the pasta is already room temp.

And importantly, how long can that pasta sit in the chafing dish with sauce before getting mushy? For some reason I just can't find these answers online the way I need them.

Please, if anyone has answers, I'd be so grateful!

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