lifting virgin

First of all... giggity.

Second of all check out a beginner's program like:
1. New Rules of Lifting for Women ( I personally didn't like this one as it was quite complicated for a 'beginner' book)
2. Starting Strength (Same thing)
3. Stronglifts 5X5 (I like this one for the simplicity.)

Third check out some of these sites/groups:

Want to lift heavy things?
http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

Stronglifts Summary
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

Stronglifts Womens Group
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women

Are you going to lift weights at home or use a gym?

If you're using a gym, you can look up weight lifting basics in books and online. Enthusiasts will tell you that you need to do squats and deadlifts. This is not true for a beginner without anyone to help them. You can start very easy - even using some machines and very basic free weight exercises. Machines are OK to start, although people with a lot of experience rarely use them. You don't have to hire a personal trainer: you can ask one of the employees at the gym simple questions. They'll make sure you understand how the machines work and can give you basic tips on form with weights.

Just do that for a while and keep reading. Watch what other people are doing (especially those with personal trainers standing there - you can be more sure they're doing it right.) If you see something interesting, look it up and learn about it. You can do an awful lot this way.

Eventually, you will want to do squats and deadlifts. I did them by watching lots of Youtube videos, and starting with a very light weight. And, I asked one of the gym employees (who are also personal trainers) if they could check my form for me. It took them less than five minutes and they are always very happy to help. Just don't take the piss and ask them so much that you might as well be paying for a session.

Speaking of which, a couple of sessions with a PT is a good investment. If you don't want to do more than 2-4 sessions, tell them that your intention is to learn to lift safely. Some people pay a person to stand over them and make them exercise. That can be very expensive. Paying them to teach you to lift safely is a great investment.

If you're going to do this at home, you can guy a simple weight set - something with plates that you take on and off the dumbbells and barbell is very flexible. A swiss ball and a bench/something sturdy and you can get quite a lot done. But you will need to do a lot of research and watch a lot of videos on youtube to make sure you're doing it right.