diff --git a/src/loader.js b/src/loader.js
index 336517783889..7266a066f3ce 100644
--- a/src/loader.js
+++ b/src/loader.js
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ function setupModuleLoader(window) {
            * @description
            * See {@link auto.$provide#decorator $provide.decorator()}.
            */
-          decorator: invokeLaterAndSetModuleName('$provide', 'decorator'),
+          decorator: invokeLaterAndSetModuleName('$provide', 'decorator', configBlocks),
 
           /**
            * @ngdoc method
@@ -349,10 +349,11 @@ function setupModuleLoader(window) {
          * @param {string} method
          * @returns {angular.Module}
          */
-        function invokeLaterAndSetModuleName(provider, method) {
+        function invokeLaterAndSetModuleName(provider, method, queue) {
+          if (!queue) queue = invokeQueue;
           return function(recipeName, factoryFunction) {
             if (factoryFunction && isFunction(factoryFunction)) factoryFunction.$$moduleName = name;
-            invokeQueue.push([provider, method, arguments]);
+            queue.push([provider, method, arguments]);
             return moduleInstance;
           };
         }
diff --git a/test/loaderSpec.js b/test/loaderSpec.js
index 317717f65e17..b63654c0d8d1 100644
--- a/test/loaderSpec.js
+++ b/test/loaderSpec.js
@@ -48,7 +48,6 @@ describe('module loader', function() {
     expect(myModule.requires).toEqual(['other']);
     expect(myModule._invokeQueue).toEqual([
       ['$provide', 'constant', jasmine.objectContaining(['abc', 123])],
-      ['$provide', 'decorator', jasmine.objectContaining(['dk', 'dv'])],
       ['$provide', 'provider', jasmine.objectContaining(['sk', 'sv'])],
       ['$provide', 'factory', jasmine.objectContaining(['fk', 'fv'])],
       ['$provide', 'service', jasmine.objectContaining(['a', 'aa'])],
@@ -60,12 +59,24 @@ describe('module loader', function() {
     ]);
     expect(myModule._configBlocks).toEqual([
       ['$injector', 'invoke', jasmine.objectContaining(['config'])],
+      ['$provide', 'decorator', jasmine.objectContaining(['dk', 'dv'])],
       ['$injector', 'invoke', jasmine.objectContaining(['init2'])]
     ]);
     expect(myModule._runBlocks).toEqual(['runBlock']);
   });
 
 
+  it("should not throw error when `module.decorator` is declared before provider that it decorates", function() {
+    angular.module('theModule', []).
+      decorator('theProvider', function($delegate) { return $delegate; }).
+      factory('theProvider', function() { return {}; });
+
+    expect(function() {
+      createInjector(['myModule']);
+    }).not.toThrow();
+  });
+
+
   it('should allow module redefinition', function() {
     expect(window.angular.module('a', [])).not.toBe(window.angular.module('a', []));
   });