Brian, what do you want to do? If you are looking to learn the tele turn so you can ski on ski slopes, you'll want to rent beefy plastic boots and alpine style skis. That's going to give you the quickest learning curve, the most enjoyable experience, and the least amount of pain. Most places that rent gear will go with Scarpa T-2 or Garmont Synergy at least. Go big, it'll be worth it. Once you've had a few lessons / NATO clinic, demo a bunch of skis at a telefest and then pick up a pair of skis/boots/bindings. Keep in mind that it will set you back around $1000 for new gear.
If you are looking to ski in the backcountry, touring on rolling terrain, turning when you need to, then learning on the lifts may be overkill. You won't be getting many turns in the backcountry and a good snowplow is more worthwhile. If you want to tele at Tucks or the like, then follow the path above.
If you are serious about lift skiing, buy big boots. The Scarpa T-3/4 or Garmont Excursion, while fine boots, really don't cut it on the slopes. They'll work, but you'll outgrow them in a short time, and they're not stiff enough for serious bumps or steeps. As Dave.M said,where what fits. I have wide feet and can't fit in Scarpas, Garmonts are for me. With the lousy exchange rate, these boots are up around $600, so spend time trying them on, and hopefully demoing them.
Don't worry about bindings yet, demo/rent for a bit first.
As for skis, go wide. Your choices will be limited to the rentals, so go to a demo day or telefest and try, try, try.
If you buy gear, start with boots. All the rest of the stuff will come along later. Boots first. Actually, helmet and kneepads first, then boots.
-dave-
