diff --git a/src/Response.php b/src/Response.php
index 9c9c50e503..56c420dc49 100644
--- a/src/Response.php
+++ b/src/Response.php
@@ -164,7 +164,7 @@ class Response extends AbstractMessage implements ResponseInterface
      * Populate object from string
      *
      * @param  string $string
-     * @return Response
+     * @return self
      * @throws Exception\InvalidArgumentException
      */
     public static function fromString($string)
@@ -235,11 +235,12 @@ public function getCookie()
      *
      * @param  int $code
      * @throws Exception\InvalidArgumentException
-     * @return Response
+     * @return self
      */
     public function setStatusCode($code)
     {
-        if (!is_numeric($code)) {
+        $const = get_class($this) . '::STATUS_CODE_' . $code;
+        if (!is_numeric($code) || !defined($const)) {
             $code = is_scalar($code) ? $code : gettype($code);
             throw new Exception\InvalidArgumentException(sprintf(
                 'Invalid status code provided: "%s"',
@@ -260,9 +261,31 @@ public function getStatusCode()
         return $this->statusCode;
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Set custom HTTP status code
+     *
+     * @param  int $code
+     * @throws Exception\InvalidArgumentException
+     * @return self
+     */
+    public function setCustomStatusCode($code)
+    {
+        if (!is_numeric($code)) {
+            $code = is_scalar($code) ? $code : gettype($code);
+            throw new Exception\InvalidArgumentException(sprintf(
+                'Invalid status code provided: "%s"',
+                $code
+            ));
+        }
+
+        $this->statusCode = (int) $code;
+        return $this;
+
+    }
+
     /**
      * @param string $reasonPhrase
-     * @return Response
+     * @return self
      */
     public function setReasonPhrase($reasonPhrase)
     {
@@ -277,7 +300,7 @@ public function setReasonPhrase($reasonPhrase)
      */
     public function getReasonPhrase()
     {
-        if ($this->reasonPhrase == null) {
+        if (null == $this->reasonPhrase and isset($this->recommendedReasonPhrases[$this->statusCode])) {
             return $this->recommendedReasonPhrases[$this->statusCode];
         }
         return $this->reasonPhrase;
diff --git a/test/ResponseTest.php b/test/ResponseTest.php
index 012495bfdb..efe0ffe095 100644
--- a/test/ResponseTest.php
+++ b/test/ResponseTest.php
@@ -57,14 +57,29 @@ public function testResponseCanSetStatusCode()
         $this->assertEquals(303, $response->getStatusCode());
     }
 
-    public function testResponseSetStatusCodeWithUnknownCode()
+    public function testResponseSetStatusCodeThrowsExceptionOnInvalidCode()
     {
         $response = new Response;
+        $this->setExpectedException('Zend\Http\Exception\InvalidArgumentException', 'Invalid status code');
         $response->setStatusCode(606);
-        $this->assertEquals(606, $response->getStatusCode());
     }
 
-    public function testResponseSetStatusCodeThrowsExceptionOnInvalidCode()
+    public function testResponseGetReasonPhraseWillReturnEmptyPhraseAsDefault()
+    {
+        $response = new Response;
+        $response->setCustomStatusCode(998);
+        $this->assertSame('HTTP/1.1 998' . "\r\n\r\n", (string) $response);
+    }
+
+    public function testResponseCanSetCustomStatusCode()
+    {
+        $response = new Response;
+        $this->assertEquals(200, $response->getStatusCode());
+        $response->setCustomStatusCode('999');
+        $this->assertEquals(999, $response->getStatusCode());
+    }
+
+    public function testResponseSetCustomStatusCodeThrowsExceptionOnInvalidCode()
     {
         $response = new Response;
         $this->setExpectedException(
@@ -281,7 +296,7 @@ public function testToString()
         $response = Response::fromString($response_str);
 
         $this->assertEquals(strtolower(str_replace("\n", "\r\n", $response_str)), strtolower($response->toString()), 'Response convertion to string does not match original string');
-        $this->assertEquals(strtolower(str_replace("\n", "\r\n", $response_str)), strtolower((string) $response), 'Response convertion to string does not match original string');
+        $this->assertEquals(strtolower(str_replace("\n", "\r\n", $response_str)), strtolower((string)$response), 'Response convertion to string does not match original string');
     }
 
     public function testToStringGzip()
@@ -290,7 +305,7 @@ public function testToStringGzip()
         $response = Response::fromString($response_str);
 
         $this->assertEquals(strtolower($response_str), strtolower($response->toString()), 'Response convertion to string does not match original string');
-        $this->assertEquals(strtolower($response_str), strtolower((string) $response), 'Response convertion to string does not match original string');
+        $this->assertEquals(strtolower($response_str), strtolower((string)$response), 'Response convertion to string does not match original string');
     }
 
     public function testGetHeaders()
@@ -312,6 +327,7 @@ public function testGetVersion()
     public function testUnknownCode()
     {
         $response_str = $this->readResponse('response_unknown');
+        $this->setExpectedException('InvalidArgumentException', 'Invalid status code provided: "550"');
         $response = Response::fromString($response_str);
         $this->assertEquals(550, $response->getStatusCode());
     }