According to the existing laws and visa regulations, it will be easier for you to come to Russia to see your potential bride, than to get a visitor's visa to America or Canada for a single woman.

If you've decided to come to Russia to meet your Russian bride for the first time you have different options on what to do. You can arrange a tour through an agency, for example, a travel agency or a marriage agency. If you go through a travel agency, it will cost less, but a marriage agency will know what your specific needs are in terms of being in Russia for the first time. These marriage agencies can help with translation services, along with hotels in different cities and setting up an individualized tour just for you.

Once you've decided to arrange everything by yourself you should take in account the possibilities of the Russian bride you're going to meet. You can send money to her for travel expenses or you can send a ticket that you have purchased, so that you may get the refund yourself if the plans fall through.

Make sure that everything is planned right and it'll be done correctly. Your potential bride should already have a passport for foreign travel, if not it will take an additional 2-3 months for her to get it.

What to Do and See?

There are plenty of cultural and artistic events to attend in many of the Russian cities. You should discuss with her what she would like to see and do and how she would like to spend time with you in getting to know you. A mix of social activities combined with dining alone will help you get to know each other in a variety of situations.

If you are traveling outside the country, it's always wise to travel prepared. Here’s a checklist of some things you might want to bring with you on your travels to Russia to meet a Russian bride: flashlight, neck pillow for flights and train rides, ear plugs, towelettes, tissues, Electric Adapter kits, address book with contact information, some type of container, like a pouch, for your passport traveler’s checks and other important paperwork, camera and accessories, especially film, detergent, raincoat (with liner?), umbrella, travel alarm clock, sunscreen or sun block, prescriptions & medications, best kept in original packaging, aspirin, motion sickness medicine, soap, Plastic Bags, wash cloth.

Do it Yourself Visa?

After you meet and decide to get married, you'll wish your bride to move to your hometown. For example, if you are trying to bring a Russian bride into the United States, there are a few different ways to accomplish that. Usually the main aim is to get a "fiance visa" and there are some requirements that you must follow in order to get the visa.

You can apply for it yourselves and fill out all the paperwork yourselves. This is the cheapest route, but if the paperwork is not filled out 100% perfectly, it can cause delays.
You can have a fiance visa service handle it. Make sure the service you use is licensed. Remember, the service will just be filling out the forms for you and are not usually immigration attorneys, so if any legal issues come up, they will be ill equipped to handle them.
You can alwas hire a US immigration lawyer to take care of it. This is the most expensive option, but also the one that will cause you the least hassle, especially with a bride coming over from Russia. There are lots of Do-It-Yourself Kits out there that you can look over that will give you a good idea about what is involved. The process can go smoothly, but any mistakes can cause delays and that can ruin a marriage before it even gets started.

And most important, do your research on Russian brides. There is a lot of information about Russian dating out there if you just look around and ask questions. Information is power, so use it to your best advantage.