craftgrrl | Intro and a dress question

So, first off, I'd like to say what a wonderful resource this community is! I just stumbled on to you guys a couple of days ago, and already my mind is racing with ideas. If only I could win the lottery so my crafty dreams could come true... Anyway... A little background on me: When I was little, I used to do crafts with my mom (painting ceramics and little wooden things mostly) and when I got older, she taught me counted cross stitch. I grew up, got married, had a kid, yadda yadda... I've only made a couple of things (a really simplistic tiger costume for the kid [actually it was only a vest and a hat that tied around the chin, but it was flippin cute. I'll have to see if I have pics] and I made some bumper pads for his crib). I'm in the works to buy my mom's sewing machine off of her because she's used it less than I have. And other than that, I've only done small hand sewing things.

Sooo... After all that, I have a question! I have a wedding to attend in late October. Semi-formal dress (standard I suppose) and it is a day wedding. And since shopping for clothes frustrates me to tears (I can never find anything that fits, things are too expensive, etc), I thought I'd try my hand at making myself a dress! Woo!...I'm a little daunted though. I found a pattern/tutorial at craftster for a halter dress that I want to try with a few modifications. I'd like to use satin (to make it more fancy) and I'd like to lengthen the straps so that they cross over my back and connect to the back of the dress. I'd probably also make the skirt a little longer. Anyway, I'm good on measurements and figuring out seam allowances and how much material I'd need total... My question is regarding satin. Is there a specific/special way to sew it? Will I need a lining for the dress? And, any suggestions you might have for me would be awesome!

It's good there's a place for us crafty dorks, er, I mean geniuses to get together and share info!