Dumaguete Cathedral vs. St. Catherine of Alexandria: A Guide to Church Acoustics for Video. 

You check the wedding invitation. It says "St. Catherine of Alexandria Cathedral." You type "Dumaguete Cathedral" into Google Maps.

Are you going to the right place?

Yes. They are the same building. But for us as videographers, we treat them as two different entities. There is the Dumaguete Cathedral (the historic landmark with the stone facade) and there is St. Catherine's (the active parish with the modern, echo-heavy interior).

Understanding this duality is key to getting good audio for your wedding film. Here is our guide to navigating the acoustics of the oldest stone church in Negros.

The Visuals: Historic Grandeur

When you book the Cathedral, you are booking history. The exterior and the famous Campanario de Dumaguete (Belfry) offer that classic Spanish-era look. We love using drone shots here to establish the scale of your event against the city skyline.

• The Shot: We typically position our cameras to catch the natural light hitting the stained glass windows. The stone pillars and the statues of St. Peter and St. Paul at the entrance frame the bride perfectly as she exits the car.

The Acoustics: The Modern Challenge

Here is where it gets technical. While the outside looks ancient, the interior of St. Catherine of Alexandria is surprisingly modern. The walls are painted concrete and the ceiling features a high, translucent dome.

This combination of hard surfaces creates a significant audio challenge: Reverb.

Sound bounces around the main nave. If a videographer relies on an on-camera microphone, your vows will sound muddy. They will sound like you are speaking from the bottom of a well.

How We Fix It

At Tickle Tree Studios, we don't let the echo win. We use a specific audio strategy for this church.

• Lavalier Mics are Non-Negotiable: We clip a small, wireless microphone on the groom and the officiant. This captures your voices before they have a chance to bounce off the high ceilings.

• Speaker Placement: We check where the church's PA speakers are facing. We position our backup audio recorders directly in front of them to get a clean feed of the readings and the choir.

• The "Silence" of the Dome: The central dome is beautiful for light, but it acts as a sound trap. We advise couples to speak slightly slower during their vows. This allows the natural reverb to decay before the next word is spoken, ensuring every promise is heard clearly in your video.

The Verdict

Whether you call it Dumaguete Cathedral or St. Catherine's, this venue is a masterpiece. It offers a mix of history and solemnity that is hard to beat. You just need a video team that knows how to handle the sound.

Getting married at the Cathedral? Don't let your vows get lost in the echo. [Contact Tickle Tree Studios]

We have the right gear to make St. Catherine's sound as good as it looks.