We present a detailed theoretical and experimental study of the evanescent coupled optical microcavity modes in one-dimensional photonic bandgap structures. The coupled-cavity samples are fabricated by depositing alternating hydrogenated amorphous silicon nitride and silicon oxide layers. Splitting of the eigenmodes and formation of a defect band due to interaction between the neighbouring localized cavity modes are experimentally observed. Corresponding field patterns and the transmission spectra are obtained by using transfer matrix method (TMM) simulations. A theoretical model based on the classical wave analogue of the tight-binding (TB) picture is developed and applied to these structures. Experimental results are in good agreement with the predictions of the TB approximation and the TMM simulations.