diff --git a/src/ser.rs b/src/ser.rs
index 7ca19f8..9460704 100644
--- a/src/ser.rs
+++ b/src/ser.rs
@@ -3,10 +3,33 @@
 //! This module contains all the Serde support for serializing Rust structures
 //! into TOML documents (as strings). Note that some top-level functions here
 //! are also provided at the top of the crate.
+//!
+//! Note that the TOML format has a restriction that if a table itself contains
+//! tables, all keys with non-table values must be emitted first. This is
+//! typically easy to ensure happens when you're defining a `struct` as you can
+//! reorder the fields manually, but when working with maps (such as `BTreeMap`
+//! or `HashMap`) this can lead to serialization errors. In those situations you
+//! may use the `tables_last` function in this module like so:
+//!
+//! ```rust
+//! # #[macro_use] extern crate serde_derive;
+//! # extern crate toml;
+//! # use std::collections::HashMap;
+//! #[derive(Serialize)]
+//! struct Manifest {
+//!     package: Package,
+//!     #[serde(serialize_with = "toml::ser::tables_last")]
+//!     dependencies: HashMap<String, Dependency>,
+//! }
+//! # type Package = String;
+//! # type Dependency = String;
+//! # fn main() {}
+//! ```
 
-use std::fmt::{self, Write};
-use std::error;
 use std::cell::Cell;
+use std::error;
+use std::fmt::{self, Write};
+use std::marker;
 
 use serde::ser;
 use datetime::{SERDE_STRUCT_FIELD_NAME, SERDE_STRUCT_NAME};
@@ -1004,3 +1027,244 @@ impl ser::Error for Error {
         Error::Custom(msg.to_string())
     }
 }
+
+enum Category {
+    Primitive,
+    Array,
+    Table,
+}
+
+/// Convenience function to serialize items in a map in an order valid with
+/// TOML.
+///
+/// TOML carries the restriction that keys in a table must be serialized last if
+/// their value is a table itself. This isn't always easy to guarantee, so this
+/// helper can be used like so:
+///
+/// ```rust
+/// # #[macro_use] extern crate serde_derive;
+/// # extern crate toml;
+/// # use std::collections::HashMap;
+/// #[derive(Serialize)]
+/// struct Manifest {
+///     package: Package,
+///     #[serde(serialize_with = "toml::ser::tables_last")]
+///     dependencies: HashMap<String, Dependency>,
+/// }
+/// # type Package = String;
+/// # type Dependency = String;
+/// # fn main() {}
+/// ```
+pub fn tables_last<'a, I, K, V, S>(data: &'a I, serializer: S)
+                                   -> Result<S::Ok, S::Error>
+    where &'a I: IntoIterator<Item = (K, V)>,
+          K: ser::Serialize,
+          V: ser::Serialize,
+          S: ser::Serializer
+{
+    use serde::ser::SerializeMap;
+
+    let mut map = serializer.serialize_map(None)?;
+    for (k, v) in data {
+        if let Category::Primitive = v.serialize(Categorize::new())? {
+            map.serialize_entry(&k, &v)?;
+        }
+    }
+    for (k, v) in data {
+        if let Category::Array = v.serialize(Categorize::new())? {
+            map.serialize_entry(&k, &v)?;
+        }
+    }
+    for (k, v) in data {
+        if let Category::Table = v.serialize(Categorize::new())? {
+            map.serialize_entry(&k, &v)?;
+        }
+    }
+    map.end()
+}
+
+struct Categorize<E>(marker::PhantomData<E>);
+
+impl<E> Categorize<E> {
+    fn new() -> Self {
+        Categorize(marker::PhantomData)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<E: ser::Error> ser::Serializer for Categorize<E> {
+    type Ok = Category;
+    type Error = E;
+    type SerializeSeq = Self;
+    type SerializeTuple = ser::Impossible<Category, E>;
+    type SerializeTupleStruct = ser::Impossible<Category, E>;
+    type SerializeTupleVariant = ser::Impossible<Category, E>;
+    type SerializeMap = Self;
+    type SerializeStruct = Self;
+    type SerializeStructVariant = ser::Impossible<Category, E>;
+
+    fn serialize_bool(self, _: bool) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_i8(self, _: i8) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_i16(self, _: i16) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_i32(self, _: i32) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_i64(self, _: i64) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_u8(self, _: u8) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_u16(self, _: u16) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_u32(self, _: u32) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_u64(self, _: u64) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_f32(self, _: f32) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_f64(self, _: f64) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_char(self, _: char) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_str(self, _: &str) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Primitive)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_bytes(self, _: &[u8]) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_none(self) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_some<T: ?Sized + ser::Serialize>(self, v: &T) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        v.serialize(self)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_unit(self) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_unit_struct(self, _: &'static str) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_unit_variant(self, _: &'static str, _: usize, _: &'static str) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_newtype_struct<T: ?Sized + ser::Serialize>(self, _: &'static str, v: &T) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        v.serialize(self)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_newtype_variant<T: ?Sized + ser::Serialize>(self, _: &'static str, _: usize, _: &'static str, _: &T) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_seq(self, _: Option<usize>) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(self)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_seq_fixed_size(self, _: usize) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(self)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_tuple(self, _: usize) -> Result<Self::SerializeTuple, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_tuple_struct(self, _: &'static str, _: usize) -> Result<Self::SerializeTupleStruct, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_tuple_variant(self, _: &'static str, _: usize, _: &'static str, _: usize) -> Result<Self::SerializeTupleVariant, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_map(self, _: Option<usize>) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(self)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_struct(self, _: &'static str, _: usize) -> Result<Self, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(self)
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_struct_variant(self, _: &'static str, _: usize, _: &'static str, _: usize) -> Result<Self::SerializeStructVariant, Self::Error> {
+        Err(ser::Error::custom("unsupported"))
+    }
+}
+
+impl<E: ser::Error> ser::SerializeSeq for Categorize<E> {
+    type Ok = Category;
+    type Error = E;
+
+    fn serialize_element<T: ?Sized + ser::Serialize>(&mut self, _: &T)
+                                                     -> Result<(), Self::Error> {
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    fn end(self) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Array)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<E: ser::Error> ser::SerializeMap for Categorize<E> {
+    type Ok = Category;
+    type Error = E;
+
+    fn serialize_key<T: ?Sized + ser::Serialize>(&mut self, _: &T)
+                                                 -> Result<(), Self::Error> {
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    fn serialize_value<T: ?Sized + ser::Serialize>(&mut self, _: &T)
+                                                   -> Result<(), Self::Error> {
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    fn end(self) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Table)
+    }
+}
+
+impl<E: ser::Error> ser::SerializeStruct for Categorize<E> {
+    type Ok = Category;
+    type Error = E;
+
+    fn serialize_field<T: ?Sized>(&mut self,
+                                  _: &'static str,
+                                  _: &T) -> Result<(), Self::Error>
+        where T: ser::Serialize,
+    {
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    fn end(self) -> Result<Self::Ok, Self::Error> {
+        Ok(Category::Table)
+    }
+}
diff --git a/tests/tables-last.rs b/tests/tables-last.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..d05c8f0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/tables-last.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+#[macro_use]
+extern crate serde_derive;
+extern crate toml;
+
+use std::collections::HashMap;
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+struct A {
+    #[serde(serialize_with = "toml::ser::tables_last")]
+    vals: HashMap<&'static str, Value>,
+}
+
+#[derive(Serialize)]
+#[serde(untagged)]
+enum Value {
+    Map(HashMap<&'static str, &'static str>),
+    Int(i32),
+}
+
+#[test]
+fn always_works() {
+    let mut a = A { vals: HashMap::new() };
+    a.vals.insert("foo", Value::Int(0));
+
+    let mut sub = HashMap::new();
+    sub.insert("foo", "bar");
+    a.vals.insert("bar", Value::Map(sub));
+
+    toml::to_string(&a).unwrap();
+}