My daughter wanted to save just about everything from her 21st birthday cake!
We settled for an unusually large amount of photographs & keeping 2 small items; a flower & a bee!
I was delighted at her pleasure in the cake, but I do make them for eating!
Husband was getting quite restless to taste the cake but daughter insisted on postponing the cutting, till Mum stepped firmly in!
Like others have mentioned, it is lovely to have one's work so greatly appreciated & admired but cakes are meant for eating!

Escaliba - Right!!? I took my b'day cake yesterday and the folks were like "nooo, we can't cut it, it's too cool!" And as I do at most parties where I've brought the cake, I'm the one that has to take the knife to it because everyone else doesn't want to destroy it! LOL! I'm like, it's perishable, not permanent - let's eat! LOL!

I too have this problem - but i solved it now by doing all the artwork on a seperate cake board, which i then just edge with royal icing onto the top of the cakes, as every time i deliver they all want to know how to get the decorations off to keep.
Doing this they just break the royal icing around the sides, and have a clean board with the whole display on to put away.

Saves a lot of explaning - lol

I think its such a great compliment when they want to keep the decorations, but the cake needs to be cut and eaten !! keep the decorations sure, BUT EAT THE CAKE!!!!!

I did the couple in bed with a replica of my companions homemade bed and nautical quilt. I even put the cat on his "blankie" at the foot of the bed. He was amazed, showed the neighbors and took it to work to show but would NOT cut it. 3 weeks later we salvaged the quilt and threw out the moldy cake. Although I was tickled to death that he liked it so well, what a waste!!!!

The mouse I made for my friend's wife's b'day cake is still in her kitchen (her b'day was in March!) and now they have added the Rice Owl from her hub's b'day cake - in my pics - (and the additional mouse I did on the hub's cake and the little dachshund!) they love them! The bases of the owl & mice are marzipan and cov'd in fondant and the dachshund is just fondant. So far, so good...they can't bring themselves to ditch them! LOL!