At the time Taylor beat out approximately 200 competitors to claim the voice role of Minnie in 1986, both she and Allwine (by then already established as Mickey for almost a decade) were married to other people. But their rapport as co-workers and friends soon blossomed into genuine affection, especially after each obtained a divorce, and they were married in Hawaii in 1991. The couple refused to talk publicly about their romance, preferring to keep the focus on the iconic characters they were tasked with portraying, although the cartoon hearts they radiated in one another’s presence were clear to all. According to one former colleague, Allwine would bring a ukulele to joint interviews with Taylor, and while he would launch into song as Mickey to serenade Minnie, "You knew it was Wayne talking to Russi."

After Allwine died in 2009, Taylor naturally had a difficult time returning to work with Bret Iwan, the new Mickey. Yet she pulled it together to continue with Minnie's various big- and small-screen adventures, even earning her first Primetime Emmy nomination in 2018, before joining her beloved in the great soundbooth in the sky the following year.