diff --git a/requirements/test.txt b/requirements/test.txt
index 893c49f0..a2c7b4d6 100644
--- a/requirements/test.txt
+++ b/requirements/test.txt
@@ -1,2 +1,4 @@
 -r install.txt
+enum34
+marshmallow_enum
 unittest2
diff --git a/tests/marshmallow_serializers.py b/tests/marshmallow_serializers.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c1b8101f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/marshmallow_serializers.py
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+# serializers.py - custom serializers for unit tests
+# using the marshmallow de/serialization library
+#
+# .._Marshmallow: http://marshmallow.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html
+#
+# Copyright 2018 Kiptoo Magutt <kiptoo.this@gmail.com>.
+# Copyright 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 Jeffrey Finkelstein
+#           <jeffrey.finkelstein@gmail.com> and contributors.
+#
+# This file is part of Flask-Restless.
+#
+# Flask-Restless is distributed under both the GNU Affero General Public
+# License version 3 and under the 3-clause BSD license. For more
+# information, see LICENSE.AGPL and LICENSE.BSD.
+"""Helper functions for unit tests."""
+
+from flask_restless import DefaultSerializer
+from flask_restless import DefaultDeserializer
+
+
+class MarshmallowSerializer(DefaultSerializer):
+    """
+    Base class for models that need custom serializers
+    using the marshmallow library
+
+    See
+        :class:`TestUpdating.TestSupport.AddressSchema`
+        for example usage
+
+    """
+    schema_class = None
+
+    def serialize(self, instance, only=None):
+        schema = self.schema_class(only=only)
+        return schema.dump(instance).data
+
+    def serialize_many(self, instances, only=None):
+        schema = self.schema_class(many=True, only=only)
+        return schema.dump(instances).data
+
+
+class MarshmallowDeserializer(DefaultDeserializer):
+
+    schema_class = None
+
+    def deserialize(self, document):
+        schema = self.schema_class()
+        return schema.load(document).data
+
+    def deserialize_many(self, document):
+        schema = self.schema_class(many=True)
+        return schema.load(document).data
diff --git a/tests/test_updating.py b/tests/test_updating.py
index 542bba22..be9efb82 100644
--- a/tests/test_updating.py
+++ b/tests/test_updating.py
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 
 from datetime import datetime
 from unittest2 import skip
+from enum import IntEnum
 
 try:
     from flask_sqlalchemy import SQLAlchemy
@@ -37,11 +38,17 @@
 from sqlalchemy import Integer
 from sqlalchemy import Time
 from sqlalchemy import Unicode
+from sqlalchemy import Enum
+from sqlalchemy import String
 from sqlalchemy.ext.associationproxy import association_proxy
 from sqlalchemy.ext.hybrid import hybrid_property
 from sqlalchemy.orm import backref
 from sqlalchemy.orm import relationship
 
+from marshmallow import post_load
+from marshmallow_jsonapi import Schema, fields
+from marshmallow_enum import EnumField
+
 from flask_restless import APIManager
 from flask_restless import JSONAPI_MIMETYPE
 from flask_restless import ProcessingException
@@ -56,6 +63,12 @@
 from .helpers import ManagerTestBase
 from .helpers import raise_s_exception as raise_exception
 
+from .marshmallow_serializers import MarshmallowSerializer
+from .marshmallow_serializers import MarshmallowDeserializer
+
+# from flask_restless import DefaultSerializer
+# from flask_restless import DefaultDeserializer
+
 
 class TestUpdating(ManagerTestBase):
     """Tests for updating resources."""
@@ -63,8 +76,13 @@ class TestUpdating(ManagerTestBase):
     def setUp(self):
         """Creates the database, the :class:`~flask.Flask` object, the
         :class:`~flask_restless.manager.APIManager` for that application, and
-        creates the ReSTful API endpoints for the :class:`TestSupport.Person`
-        and :class:`TestSupport.Article` models.
+        creates the ReSTful API endpoints for the :class:`TestSupport.Person`,
+        :class:`TestSupport.Article` and :class:`TestSupport.Address` models.
+
+        For custom serialization, it also creates
+        :class:`TestSupport.AddressSchema`,
+        :class:`TestSupport.AddressSerializer` and
+        :class:`TestSupport.AddressDeserializer`
 
         """
         super(TestUpdating, self).setUp()
@@ -87,6 +105,37 @@ class Person(self.Base):
             def foo(self):
                 return u'foo'
 
+        class AddressType(IntEnum):
+            HOME, OFFICE, UNKNOWN = range(3)
+
+        class Address(self.Base):
+            __tablename__ = 'address'
+            id = Column(Integer, primary_key=True)
+            address_str = Column(String(30))
+            address_type = Column(Enum(AddressType), default=AddressType.UNKNOWN)
+            # field to force model serialization, based on 'changes on update'
+            time_updated = Column(DateTime, onupdate=datetime.utcnow)
+
+        class AddressSchema(Schema):
+            id = fields.Integer(dump_only=True)
+            address_str = fields.Str()
+            address_type = EnumField(AddressType)
+
+            class Meta:
+                type_ = 'address'
+                model = Address
+                strict = True
+
+            @post_load
+            def make_object(self, data):
+                return self.Meta.model(**data)
+
+        class AddressSerializer(MarshmallowSerializer):
+            schema_class = AddressSchema
+
+        class AddressDeserializer(MarshmallowDeserializer):
+            schema_class = AddressSchema
+
         # This example comes from the SQLAlchemy documentation.
         #
         # The SQLAlchemy documentation is licensed under the MIT license.
@@ -122,11 +171,18 @@ class Tag(self.Base):
         self.Article = Article
         self.Interval = Interval
         self.Person = Person
+        self.Address = Address
+        self.AddressType = AddressType
         self.Tag = Tag
         self.Base.metadata.create_all()
+        # deserializer_class = DefaultDeserializer
+        # deserializer_ = deserializer_class(session=self.session, model=Person,allow_client_generated_ids=True)
         self.manager.create_api(Article, methods=['PATCH'])
         self.manager.create_api(Interval, methods=['PATCH'])
         self.manager.create_api(Person, methods=['PATCH'])
+        self.manager.create_api(Address, methods=['PATCH'],
+                                serializer_class=AddressSerializer,
+                                deserializer_class=AddressDeserializer)
 
     def test_wrong_content_type(self):
         """Tests that if a client specifies only :http:header:`Accept`
@@ -257,6 +313,25 @@ def test_deserializing_datetime(self):
         assert response.status_code == 204
         assert person.birth_datetime == now
 
+    def test_deserializing_enum_field(self):
+        """Test for deserializing a JSON representation of an Enum field."""
+        address = self.Address(id=1)
+        self.session.add(address)
+        self.session.commit()
+        data = {
+            'data': {
+                'type': 'address',
+                'id': '1',
+                'attributes': {
+                    'address_type': "HOME"
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        data = dumps(data)
+        response = self.app.patch('/api/address/1', data=data)
+        assert response.status_code == 200  # changes on update were forced
+        assert address.address_type == self.AddressType.HOME
+
     def test_correct_content_type(self):
         """Tests that the server responds with :http:status:`201` if the
         request has the correct JSON API content type.