Alex, that's a lot of money to invest in your very first orchid. Until I learned a lot more about orchids, I tried not to invest a lot of money in any one plant. Killed a few before I got the hang of growing them, as they're not at all like regular plants. Don't need soil, get most of their water and nutrients through the leaves etc.
Trader Joe's has a nice variety of orchids in the $12 range if you want to get started without breaking the bank. I recently bought my daughter her first orchid at TJ's in Salt Lake City. I sure hope she can keep the humidity up for that baby.
I personally haven't had much luck growing Brassia orchids, and I grow mine outdoors in Florida, good light, lots of humidity, a hundred other orchids around to keep them company. Go figure.
