diff --git a/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/ConfigResolveOptions.java b/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/ConfigResolveOptions.java
index 2b7140416..96e0eca0a 100644
--- a/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/ConfigResolveOptions.java
+++ b/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/ConfigResolveOptions.java
@@ -29,10 +29,13 @@
 public final class ConfigResolveOptions {
     private final boolean useSystemEnvironment;
     private final boolean allowUnresolved;
+    private final ConfigResolver resolver;
 
-    private ConfigResolveOptions(boolean useSystemEnvironment, boolean allowUnresolved) {
+    private ConfigResolveOptions(boolean useSystemEnvironment, boolean allowUnresolved,
+                                 ConfigResolver resolver) {
         this.useSystemEnvironment = useSystemEnvironment;
         this.allowUnresolved = allowUnresolved;
+        this.resolver = resolver;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -42,7 +45,7 @@ private ConfigResolveOptions(boolean useSystemEnvironment, boolean allowUnresolv
      * @return the default resolve options
      */
     public static ConfigResolveOptions defaults() {
-        return new ConfigResolveOptions(true, false);
+        return new ConfigResolveOptions(true, false, NULL_RESOLVER);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -64,7 +67,7 @@ public static ConfigResolveOptions noSystem() {
      * @return options with requested setting for use of environment variables
      */
     public ConfigResolveOptions setUseSystemEnvironment(boolean value) {
-        return new ConfigResolveOptions(value, allowUnresolved);
+        return new ConfigResolveOptions(value, allowUnresolved, resolver);
     }
 
     /**
@@ -91,7 +94,55 @@ public boolean getUseSystemEnvironment() {
      * @since 1.2.0
      */
     public ConfigResolveOptions setAllowUnresolved(boolean value) {
-        return new ConfigResolveOptions(useSystemEnvironment, value);
+        return new ConfigResolveOptions(useSystemEnvironment, value, resolver);
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns options where the given resolver used as a fallback if a
+     * reference cannot be otherwise resolved. This resolver will only be called
+     * after resolution has failed to substitute with a value from within the
+     * config itself and with any other resolvers that have been appended before
+     * this one. Multiple resolvers can be added using,
+     *
+     *  <pre>
+     *     ConfigResolveOptions options = ConfigResolveOptions.defaults()
+     *         .appendResolver(primary)
+     *         .appendResolver(secondary)
+     *         .appendResolver(tertiary);
+     * </pre>
+     *
+     * With this config unresolved references will first be resolved with the
+     * primary resolver, if that fails then the secondary, and finally if that
+     * also fails the tertiary.
+     *
+     * If all fallbacks fail to return a substitution "allow unresolved"
+     * determines whether resolution fails or continues.
+     *`
+     * @param value the resolver to fall back to
+     * @return options that use the given resolver as a fallback
+     * @since 1.3.2
+     */
+    public ConfigResolveOptions appendResolver(ConfigResolver value) {
+        if (value == null) {
+            throw new ConfigException.BugOrBroken("null resolver passed to appendResolver");
+        } else if (value == this.resolver) {
+            return this;
+        } else {
+            return new ConfigResolveOptions(useSystemEnvironment, allowUnresolved,
+                    this.resolver.withFallback(value));
+        }
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the resolver to use as a fallback if a substitution cannot be
+     * otherwise resolved. Never returns null. This method is mostly used by the
+     * config lib internally, not by applications.
+     *
+     * @return the non-null fallback resolver
+     * @since 1.3.2
+     */
+    public ConfigResolver getResolver() {
+        return this.resolver;
     }
 
     /**
@@ -104,4 +155,22 @@ public ConfigResolveOptions setAllowUnresolved(boolean value) {
     public boolean getAllowUnresolved() {
         return allowUnresolved;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Singleton resolver that never resolves paths.
+     */
+    private static final ConfigResolver NULL_RESOLVER = new ConfigResolver() {
+
+        @Override
+        public ConfigValue lookup(String path) {
+            return null;
+        }
+
+        @Override
+        public ConfigResolver withFallback(ConfigResolver fallback) {
+            return fallback;
+        }
+
+    };
+
 }
diff --git a/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/ConfigResolver.java b/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/ConfigResolver.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..a380a04f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/ConfigResolver.java
@@ -0,0 +1,38 @@
+package com.typesafe.config;
+
+/**
+ * Implement this interface and provide an instance to
+ * {@link ConfigResolveOptions#appendResolver ConfigResolveOptions.appendResolver()}
+ * to provide custom behavior when unresolved substitutions are encountered
+ * during resolution.
+ * @since 1.3.2
+ */
+public interface ConfigResolver {
+
+    /**
+     * Returns the value to substitute for the given unresolved path. To get the
+     * components of the path use {@link ConfigUtil#splitPath(String)}. If a
+     * non-null value is returned that value will be substituted, otherwise
+     * resolution will continue to consider the substitution as still
+     * unresolved.
+     *
+     * @param path the unresolved path
+     * @return the value to use as a substitution or null
+     */
+    public ConfigValue lookup(String path);
+
+    /**
+     * Returns a new resolver that falls back to the given resolver if this
+     * one doesn't provide a substitution itself.
+     *
+     * It's important to handle the case where you already have the fallback
+     * with a "return this", i.e. this method should not create a new object if
+     * the fallback is the same one you already have. The same fallback may be
+     * added repeatedly.
+     *
+     * @param fallback the previous includer for chaining
+     * @return a new resolver
+     */
+    public ConfigResolver withFallback(ConfigResolver fallback);
+
+}
diff --git a/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/impl/ConfigReference.java b/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/impl/ConfigReference.java
index 8d3c7c0c0..077503d40 100644
--- a/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/impl/ConfigReference.java
+++ b/config/src/main/java/com/typesafe/config/impl/ConfigReference.java
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigException;
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigOrigin;
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigRenderOptions;
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigResolveOptions;
+import com.typesafe.config.ConfigValue;
 import com.typesafe.config.ConfigValueType;
 
 /**
@@ -88,7 +90,8 @@ ResolveResult<? extends AbstractConfigValue> resolveSubstitutions(ResolveContext
                 v = result.value;
                 newContext = result.context;
             } else {
-                v = null;
+                ConfigValue fallback = context.options().getResolver().lookup(expr.path().render());
+                v = (AbstractConfigValue) fallback;
             }
         } catch (NotPossibleToResolve e) {
             if (ConfigImpl.traceSubstitutionsEnabled())
diff --git a/config/src/test/scala/com/typesafe/config/impl/ConfigTest.scala b/config/src/test/scala/com/typesafe/config/impl/ConfigTest.scala
index d88b365c4..96b55835d 100644
--- a/config/src/test/scala/com/typesafe/config/impl/ConfigTest.scala
+++ b/config/src/test/scala/com/typesafe/config/impl/ConfigTest.scala
@@ -1233,4 +1233,70 @@ class ConfigTest extends TestUtils {
         val resolved = unresolved.resolveWith(source)
         assertEquals(43, resolved.getInt("foo"))
     }
+
+    /**
+     * A resolver that replaces paths that start with a particular prefix with
+     * strings where that prefix has been replaced with another prefix.
+     */
+    class DummyResolver(prefix: String, newPrefix: String, fallback: ConfigResolver) extends ConfigResolver {
+
+        override def lookup(path: String): ConfigValue = {
+            if (path.startsWith(prefix))
+                ConfigValueFactory.fromAnyRef(newPrefix + path.substring(prefix.length))
+            else if (fallback != null)
+                fallback.lookup(path)
+            else
+                null
+        }
+
+        override def withFallback(f: ConfigResolver): ConfigResolver = {
+            if (fallback == null)
+                new DummyResolver(prefix, newPrefix, f)
+            else
+                new DummyResolver(prefix, newPrefix, fallback.withFallback(f))
+        }
+
+    }
+
+    private def runFallbackTest(expected: String, source: String,
+        allowUnresolved: Boolean, resolvers: ConfigResolver*) = {
+        val unresolved = ConfigFactory.parseString(source)
+        var options = ConfigResolveOptions.defaults().setAllowUnresolved(allowUnresolved)
+        for (resolver <- resolvers)
+            options = options.appendResolver(resolver)
+        val obj = unresolved.resolve(options).root()
+        assertEquals(expected, obj.render(ConfigRenderOptions.concise().setJson(false)))
+    }
+
+    @Test
+    def resolveFallback(): Unit = {
+        runFallbackTest(
+            "x=a,y=b",
+            "x=${a},y=${b}", false,
+            new DummyResolver("", "", null))
+        runFallbackTest(
+            "x=\"a.b.c\",y=\"a.b.d\"",
+            "x=${a.b.c},y=${a.b.d}", false,
+            new DummyResolver("", "", null))
+        runFallbackTest(
+            "x=${a.b.c},y=${a.b.d}",
+            "x=${a.b.c},y=${a.b.d}", true,
+            new DummyResolver("x.", "", null))
+        runFallbackTest(
+            "x=${a.b.c},y=\"e.f\"",
+            "x=${a.b.c},y=${d.e.f}", true,
+            new DummyResolver("d.", "", null))
+        runFallbackTest(
+            "w=\"Y.c.d\",x=${a},y=\"X.b\",z=\"Y.c\"",
+            "x=${a},y=${a.b},z=${a.b.c},w=${a.b.c.d}", true,
+            new DummyResolver("a.b.", "Y.", null),
+            new DummyResolver("a.", "X.", null))
+
+        runFallbackTest("x=${a.b.c}", "x=${a.b.c}", true, new DummyResolver("x.", "", null))
+        val e = intercept[ConfigException.UnresolvedSubstitution] {
+            runFallbackTest("x=${a.b.c}", "x=${a.b.c}", false, new DummyResolver("x.", "", null))
+        }
+        assertTrue(e.getMessage.contains("${a.b.c}"))
+    }
+
 }