How much would you pay for a "cake boss" kind of cake?

I'm planning my HS reunion, and we're getting a cake designed by a friend of mine. She's unreal. Her cakes are the most beautiful creations I've ever seen. This is her hobby and she doesn't know what to charge me. I can get a full sheet from a bakery I have a relationship with for a discount at $90. Two sheets would be $180, and that's just plain boring sheet cake. This girl makes 3-dimensional creations custom to order. So, I thought offering her $200 for a cake we design that would feed up to 300 ppl would be fair. Do you agree? Or is that a lowball offer?

Does she know how much time it will take her? I think 67 cents per slice for a fancy cake is too low. I would think at least $300 and that is on the low end.

I would probably offer similar to what I'd be willing to pay for a wedding cake. If the cake is going to be really extravagant and large (300 ppl), it will take a lot of her time, as well as money, to make.

Way low. I'm in the midwest and that type of cake is expensive. I've only seen much smaller ones and they were more like $4-$5 pp. We had a woman who does such cakes do a simple round cake for my DS1's bday, but the picture was airbrushed on. $50 for a small round cake.

Think about how much your wedding cake cost, how those are usually just decorated and not engineered to be something, and how long ago that was.

I think a pro would charge at least $1k for a cake that large.

Seems low to me, too. I'd find out how long it will take her to make the cake and how much the ingredients will cost and go from there.

Well, IMO $200 is a huge favor to you. How long will she have to spend on the cake? I would ask her what she wants $ wise and go from there. I would offer her free advertising at the event (if that is what she wants) as a bonus on top of the cost plus offer to pay for any supplies she needs.

$200 is low. I would offer her at least $500.
See what she says.
Eta....our local elitist cake shop charges a minimum of $1000 for sculpted cakes

Very lowball. Sorry.

I mean, you're talking $180 for *discounted* boring sheet cake, and $200 is a mere $20 more than that for an exceedingly more complicated, time-consuming and gorgeous creation.

Maybe she could do a focal piece and she could supplement with plainer easier cakes that coordinate?

I also bake as a hobby and would probably have to charge somewhere in the realm of 700-800 for a 3-D cake to feed 300 people.

A decorated tiered cake for 300 people would be at least 300. I agree with the idea to ask her about doing some sheet or tiered cakes and then doing a much smaller 3-D part so it's cheaper for you and more worth her while. It's probably somewhat regional, but I definitely think you should offer more.

I would say at least $800 ESP. if you want lots of 3-d design.