I LOVE my Pandora. I highly recommend getting something like it. My mom has the Camilla brand which isn't much cheaper, but our local stores that sell them will have sales on them or allow you to use coupons, so they become cheaper. Pretty similar in quality to Pandora. The other option would be to do as another mom suggested and just start with the bracelet and one bead. Right now, mine only has two charms on it (hoping for a third and fourth during my birthday and anniversary), but it still looks just lovely! Enjoy!
P.S. If this is something you think you would wear for a long time, think about the practicality of buying something more expensive...it may cost more initially, but Pandora comes with a lifetime warranty. I would rather spend $50 up front and know that 30 years from now it can still be fixed than buy something junky...that's just me though...