diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 2ee82ce..fdeef88 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ Interpolate-Components takes a single options object as an argument and returns
 
 - **mixedString** A string that contains component tokens to be interpolated
 - **components** An object with components assigned to named attributes
+- **tags** (optional) An object with custom tag syntax to be used
 - **throwErrors** (optional) Whether errors should be thrown (as in pre-production environments) or we should more gracefully return the un-interpolated original string (as in production). This is optional and is false by default.
 
 ## Component tokens
@@ -37,6 +38,20 @@ const jsxExample = <p>{ children }</p>;
 // <p>This is a <em>fine</em> example.</p>
 ```
 
+## Custom tag syntax
+
+```js
+interpolateComponents( {
+    mixedString: 'This uses <<em>>custom<</em>> syntax <<icon />>',
+    components: { em: <em />, icon: <Icon /> },
+    tags: {
+        componentOpen: [ '<<', '>>' ],
+        componentClose: [ '<</', '>>' ],
+        componentSelfClosing: [ '<<', '/>>' ],
+    }
+} );
+```
+
 ## Testing
 ```sh
 # install dependencies
diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 00253f3..a487fce 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
   "name": "interpolate-components",
-  "version": "1.1.1",
+  "version": "1.2.1",
   "description": "Convert strings into structured React components.",
   "repository": {
     "type": "git",
diff --git a/src/index.es6 b/src/index.es6
index f0d86f1..d10f6b3 100644
--- a/src/index.es6
+++ b/src/index.es6
@@ -9,6 +9,12 @@ import createFragment from 'react-addons-create-fragment';
  */
 import tokenize from './tokenize';
 
+const DEFAULT_TAGS = {
+    componentOpen: ['{{', '}}'],
+    componentClose: ['{{/', '}}'],
+    componentSelfClosing: ['{{', '/}}'],
+};
+
 let currentMixedString;
 
 function getCloseIndex( openIndex, tokens ) {
@@ -95,7 +101,7 @@ function buildChildren( tokens, components ) {
 }
 
 function interpolate( options ) {
-	const { mixedString, components, throwErrors } = options;
+	const { mixedString, components, throwErrors, tags = DEFAULT_TAGS } = options;
 
 	currentMixedString = mixedString;
 
@@ -111,7 +117,15 @@ function interpolate( options ) {
 		return mixedString;
 	}
 
-	let tokens = tokenize( mixedString );
+	if ( typeof tags !== 'object' || ! tags.componentOpen || ! tags.componentClose || ! tags.componentSelfClosing ) {
+        if ( throwErrors ) {
+            throw new Error( `Interpolation Error: unable to process \`${ mixedString }\` because tags is invalid` );
+        }
+
+        return mixedString;
+	}
+
+	let tokens = tokenize( mixedString, tags );
 
 	try {
 		return buildChildren( tokens, components );
diff --git a/src/tokenize.es6 b/src/tokenize.es6
index 997531e..6d70449 100644
--- a/src/tokenize.es6
+++ b/src/tokenize.es6
@@ -1,32 +1,59 @@
-function identifyToken( item ) {
-	// {{/example}}
-	if ( item.match( /^\{\{\// ) ) {
-		return {
-			type: 'componentClose',
-			value: item.replace( /\W/g, '' )
-		};
-	}
-	// {{example /}}
-	if ( item.match( /\/\}\}$/ ) ) {
-		return {
-			type: 'componentSelfClosing',
-			value: item.replace( /\W/g, '' )
-		};
-	}
-	// {{example}}
-	if ( item.match( /^\{\{/ ) ) {
-		return {
-			type: 'componentOpen',
-			value: item.replace( /\W/g, '' )
-		};
+const TOKEN_TYPES = [ 'componentClose', 'componentSelfClosing', 'componentOpen' ];
+
+function identifyToken( item, regExps ) {
+	for ( let i = 0; i < TOKEN_TYPES.length; i++ ) {
+		const type = TOKEN_TYPES[ i ];
+		const match = item.match( regExps[ type ] );
+
+        if ( match ) {
+			return {
+				type: type,
+				value: match[ 1 ]
+			};
+		}
 	}
+
 	return {
 		type: 'string',
 		value: item
 	};
 }
 
-module.exports = function( mixedString ) {
-	const tokenStrings = mixedString.split( /(\{\{\/?\s*\w+\s*\/?\}\})/g ); // split to components and strings
-	return tokenStrings.map( identifyToken );
+/**
+ * @param {string} str
+ * @returns {string}
+ */
+function escapeRegExp( str ) {
+    return str.replace( /[-[\]{}()*+?.,\\^$|#\s]/g, '\\$&' );
+}
+
+/**
+ * @param {string[]} tag
+ * @param {boolean} match
+ * @returns {RegExp}
+ */
+function makeRegExp( tag, match ) {
+	const [ start, end ] = tag;
+	const inner = match ? '\\s*(\\w+)\\s*' : '\\s*\\w+\\s*';
+	return new RegExp( `${escapeRegExp( start )}${inner}${escapeRegExp( end )}` );
+}
+
+module.exports = function( mixedString, tags ) {
+	// create regular expression that matches all components
+	const combinedRegExpString = TOKEN_TYPES
+		.map( type => tags[ type ] )
+		.map( tag => makeRegExp( tag, false ).source )
+		.join( '|' );
+	const combinedRegExp = new RegExp( `(${combinedRegExpString})`, 'g' );
+
+    // split to components and strings
+	const tokenStrings = mixedString.split( combinedRegExp );
+
+	// create regular expressions for identifying tokens
+    const componentRegExps = {};
+    TOKEN_TYPES.forEach( type => {
+    	componentRegExps[ type ] = makeRegExp( tags[ type ], true );
+    });
+
+    return tokenStrings.map( (tokenString) => identifyToken( tokenString, componentRegExps ) );
 };
diff --git a/test/test.jsx b/test/test.jsx
index 5b6f220..32fc03b 100644
--- a/test/test.jsx
+++ b/test/test.jsx
@@ -253,4 +253,48 @@ describe( 'interpolate-components', () => {
 			assert.equal( expectedResultString, ReactDomServer.renderToStaticMarkup( instance ) );
 		} );
 	} );
+
+	describe( 'custom tags', () => {
+		it( 'should allow custom tags', () => {
+            const expectedResultString = '<span><div>test</div> <input/></span>';
+            const interpolatedComponent = interpolateComponents( {
+                mixedString: '<<div>>test<</div>> <<input/>>',
+                components: {
+                    div: div,
+					input: input
+                },
+				tags: {
+                	componentOpen: [ '<<', '>>' ],
+                	componentClose: [ '<</', '>>' ],
+                	componentSelfClosing: [ '<<', '/>>' ],
+				}
+            } );
+            const instance = <span>{ interpolatedComponent }</span>;
+            assert.equal( expectedResultString, ReactDomServer.renderToStaticMarkup( instance ) );
+		} );
+
+		it( 'should throw if tags is not an object', () => {
+            assert.throws( () => {
+                interpolateComponents( {
+                    mixedString: 'test',
+                    components: {},
+					tags: '{{',
+                    throwErrors: true
+                } );
+            } );
+		} );
+
+        it( 'should throw if not all tags are provided', () => {
+            assert.throws( () => {
+                interpolateComponents( {
+                    mixedString: 'test',
+                    components: {},
+                    tags: {
+                        componentOpen: [ '{{', '}}' ],
+                    },
+                    throwErrors: true
+                } );
+            } );
+        } );
+	} );
 } );