The first is a somewhat tricky question, but it definitely has an answer. In the email templates, there is an option that you can select in the drop down box called "Welcome Member Email". In order for this email to be sent out, the description states that a member must first confirm their email address. So, within your sites settings, you must require that members confirm their email addresses. From there, you would just customize the email template for "Welcome Member Email. You can get to the templates by clicking on manage site>settings>content templates>email templates.
The second question has an answer as well. To set up a page that people see once they have registered, click on manage site>settings>manage settings>login & registration> and then in the box that says "url to redirect members after registration", you'll need to put the url to the page that you want to see after registration. From there, customize that page so that it specifically displays a message for newly registered members.
